flicker

¹

[ flik-er ]

verb (used without object)

1. to burn unsteadily; shine with a wavering light; blink on and off:

   The candle flickered in the draft and went out.

   Synonyms: twinkle, shimmer, flash, gleam, glimmer, flare

2. to move to and fro; vibrate; quiver:

   The long grasses flickered in the wind.

3. to flutter:

   Her eyelids flickered, the only sign she'd been startled.

4. to appear or occur briefly:

   A smile flickered across his face.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to flicker:

   She flickered the lights quickly to attract their attention.

noun

1. an unsteady flame or light:

   A dim flicker of lamplight was all that illuminated the room.

2. a flickering movement:

   The flicker of the snake's tongue was hypnotizing.

3. a brief occurrence or appearance:

   The thought of reinforcements gave them a flicker of hope.

4. Often flick·ers. Slang. flick ².
5. Ophthalmology. the visual sensation of flickering that occurs when the interval between intermittent flashes of light is too long to permit fusion.

flicker

²

[ flik-er ]

noun

1. any of several American woodpeckers of the genus Colaptes, having the underside of the wings and tail brightly marked with yellow or red and noted for taking insects from the ground as well as trees.

flicker

¹

/ ˈflɪkə /

verb

1. intr to shine with an unsteady or intermittent light

   a candle flickers

2. intr to move quickly to and fro; quiver, flutter, or vibrate
3. tr to cause to flicker

noun

1. an unsteady or brief light or flame
2. a swift quivering or fluttering movement
3. a visual sensation, often seen in a television image, produced by periodic fluctuations in the brightness of light at a frequency below that covered by the persistence of vision
4. See flick
   the flicker
   the flicker plural a US word for flick 2

flicker

²

/ ˈflɪkə /

noun

1. any North American woodpecker of the genus Colaptes , esp C. auratus ( yellow-shafted flicker ), which has a yellow undersurface to the wings and tail

Derived Forms

• ˈflickery, adjective
• ˈflickeringly, adverb

Other Words From

• flick·er·ing·ly adverb
• flick·er·y adjective
• un·flick·er·ing adjective
• un·flick·er·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of flicker¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb flikeren, flekeren, Old English flicerian, flicorian “to flutter”; cognate with Dutch flikkeren

Origin of flicker²

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10; said to be imitative of the bird's note

Word History and Origins

Origin of flicker¹

Old English flicorian ; related to Dutch flikkeren , Old Norse flökra to flutter

Origin of flicker²

C19: perhaps imitative of the bird's call

Example Sentences

The electronic shutter allows for high-speed continuous shooting with flicker reduction to counteract the odd bands of shadow that show up in images when shooting under certain types of lighting.

From Popular-Science

In prioritizing passive engagement over active listening, Spotify is training us to prefer a lot of pretty good to a little bit of great — but Wallen has already shown his greatness in bright flickers.

From Washington Post

The return of Alex Smith, a three-game winning streak, a realistic shot to win a bad NFC East and the victory over Pittsburgh have given the team its first flickers of hope in years.

From Washington Post

Bridgewater threw a second-quarter touchdown pass to Samuel on a flea flicker.

From Washington Post

Consider the rural town of Anson, Texas, where locals long believed that if you drove out to the crossroads nearest the local cemetery and flashed your headlights, a mysterious flicker would bounce back at you.

From Popular-Science

A pivotal moment comes when Amir admits he felt more than a flicker of pride when fanatics attacked the Twin Towers.

From The Daily Beast

Hurricane lamps on the tables flicker in the calm island breeze.

From The Daily Beast

Sunday saw a feast of NBA action with the Chicago Bulls toppling the Heat and a flicker of Linsanity down in Houston.

From The Daily Beast

STAMPER nods—we see the briefest flicker of fear in his eyes, but it is immediately replaced with resolve.

From The Daily Beast

Such honesty is what elicits that satisfying flicker in a reader, Of course.

From The Daily Beast

In the shade the effect is less marked, but the constant flicker makes the same sort of variation, though not to the same extent.

From Project Gutenberg

The hunter and his little son drew closer and watched the last flame flicker and die out.

From Project Gutenberg

These poor wretches fought for the last flicker of the lamp, which the bears wanted to extinguish altogether.

From Project Gutenberg

There was no light in this rocky intestine of the earth except the red flicker of the camp-fire.

From Project Gutenberg

Then suddenly around the corners of his under lip a little balky smile began to flicker.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• blare
• blink
• flare
• flash
• flit
• gleam
• glimmer
• glint
• glitter
• glow
• hover
• quiver
• shimmer
• tremble
• twinkle
• waver