flicker1
[flik-er]
- to burn unsteadily; shine with a wavering light: The candle flickered in the wind and went out.
- to move to and fro; vibrate; quiver: The long grasses flickered in the wind.
- to flutter.
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- to cause to flicker.
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- an unsteady flame or light.
- a flickering movement.
- a brief occurrence or appearance: a flicker of hope.
- Often flickers. Slang. flick2.
- Ophthalmology. the visual sensation of flickering that occurs when the interval between intermittent flashes of light is too long to permit fusion.
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Origin of flicker1
before 1000; Middle English flikeren (v.) Old English flicorian to flutter; cognate with Dutch flikkeren
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for flickering
Contemporary Examples
He gazed at the flowers and the flickering candles, clearly moved.
One well-known work, “Exploded Views” (2011), features 2,880 seemingly random, flickering LED lights.
The best ones have a view of the murals or are near the pretty glass cabinet filled with flickering candles.
Dusty paths lined with flickering orange lanterns led us to our final camp, a slice of dramatic Arabian luxury.
For these boys, the man leans in and shines a flickering red light in their faces.
‘Web Junkie’ Is a Harrowing Documentary on China’s Internet Addiction Rehab ClinicsMarlow Stern
January 20, 2014
Historical Examples
"And you, too," he added, flickering a glance at Miss Georgie.
Good IndianB. M. Bower
The familiar horse appeared in the flickering circle of light.
Polly of Lady Gay CottageEmma C. Dowd
Gone was the brambled waste, gone the flickering tangle of woodland.
The Golden AgeKenneth Grahame
The paper that hung in his hand had touched the flickering peat.
The Shadow of a CrimeHall Caine
Nelly caught it up and held it on the breezy side of the flickering match.
Capt'n Davy's HoneymoonHall Caine
flicker1
- (intr) to shine with an unsteady or intermittent lighta candle flickers
- (intr) to move quickly to and fro; quiver, flutter, or vibrate
- (tr) to cause to flicker
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- an unsteady or brief light or flame
- a swift quivering or fluttering movement
- 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
- the flicker (plural) a US word for flick 2 (def. 2)
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Word Origin
Old English flicorian; related to Dutch flikkeren, Old Norse flökra to flutter
flicker2
- any North American woodpecker of the genus Colaptes, esp C. auratus (yellow-shafted flicker), which has a yellow undersurface to the wings and tail
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Word Origin
C19: perhaps imitative of the bird's call
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for flickering
flicker
n.
1849, "wavering, unsteady light or flame;" 1857 as "a flickering," from flicker (v.).
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flicker
v.
Old English flicorian "to flutter, flap quickly and lightly," originally of birds. Onomatopoeic and suggestive of quick motion. Sense of "shine with a wavering light" is c.1600, but not common till 19c. Related: Flickered; flickering.
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flicker
n.
"woodpecker," 1808, American English, possibly echoic of bird's note, or from white spots on plumage that seem to flicker as it flits from tree to tree.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper