flicker

[flik-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flicker ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

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.

verb (used with object)

to cause to flicker.

noun

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.

Origin of flicker

before 1000; Middle English flikeren (v.) Old English flicorian to flutter; cognate with Dutch flikkeren

Related formsflick·er·ing·ly, adverbflick·er·y, adjectiveun·flick·er·ing, adjectiveun·flick·er·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for flicker

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flicker ON THESAURUS.COM

1. flare, flash, gleam, shimmer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flickering

lambent, meteoric, uncertain, fulgurating

Examples from the Web for flickering

Contemporary Examples of flickering

He gazed at the flowers and the flickering candles, clearly moved.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops
Michael Daly
December 22, 2014
One well-known work, “Exploded Views” (2011), features 2,880 seemingly random, flickering LED lights.
Art Goes High-Tech at These Four Innovative Exhibits
Justin Jones
May 29, 2014
The best ones have a view of the murals or are near the pretty glass cabinet filled with flickering candles.
Where to Fall in Love—or Just Get Drunk—on Valentine’s Day
Condé Nast Traveler
February 12, 2014
Dusty paths lined with flickering orange lanterns led us to our final camp, a slice of dramatic Arabian luxury.
On Foot in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco
Joanna Eede
January 22, 2014
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 Clinics
Marlow Stern
January 20, 2014

Historical Examples of flickering

"And you, too," he added, flickering a glance at Miss Georgie.
Good Indian
B. M. Bower
The familiar horse appeared in the flickering circle of light.
Polly of Lady Gay Cottage
Emma C. Dowd
Gone was the brambled waste, gone the flickering tangle of woodland.
The Golden Age
Kenneth Grahame
The paper that hung in his hand had touched the flickering peat.
The Shadow of a Crime
Hall Caine
Nelly caught it up and held it on the breezy side of the flickering match.
Capt'n Davy's Honeymoon
Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for flickering

flicker

verb

(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

noun

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)

Derived Formsflickeringly, adverbflickery, adjective

Word Origin for flicker

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

flicker

noun

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

Word Origin for flicker

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

1849, "wavering, unsteady light or flame;" 1857 as "a flickering," from flicker (v.).

flicker

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.

flicker

"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.