to flicker
- verb
- /ˈflɪkər/
- Electric luminarios lined the stage and flickered in red and green on the dance floor.
- flickering light
- flickering candle
- flickering flame
She'd come back from a hard day's work, see all the lights flicker and die.
- She'd come back from a hard day's work, see all the lights flicker and die.
- Ramdas talks about it being like a candle that's inside that isn't swayed or flickered by the wind.
- And you keep breathing life on that little ember that that if you've done it right, still alive, and it flickers to life and it keeps you going.
- Like I'm kind of, you know, waving it around right now, but the flame actually kind of flickers and it looks like a real legit candle.
Examples
-
During the storm, the lights flickered before going out completely.
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I was somewhat happy this morning; a little joy flickered through me, but it did not last long.
Academic text (1998) -
So you can flicker between on and off, let's say for green, or you can flicker between red and green.
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The light flickered on and off.
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Alarm or no alarm, the lights flickered and went out.
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A strange bright light came through the barred window and flickered on the empty beds.
Fiction book (1991) -
Well, I was standing on the ladder fixing a lightbulb that was flickering and driving me crazy.
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The lights were dim; candles flickered in red goblets covered with plastic fish net.
Fiction book (1990) -
The candle began to flicker as the wind blew through the open window.
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As the movie started, the projector light began to flicker, capturing everyone's attention.
Synonyms
To give a sudden short bright light
To shine with a soft, slightly moving light
To flash on and off quickly like a light
To shake in small, quick movements because of fear, cold, or excitement
To burn or shine with a bright, hot light
To shine with small quick flashes of light, often in eyes or stars
To shine with small bright flashes of light
To burn or shine with a sudden bright light
To shine on and off quickly like a small light
To move or shake in a slight, unsteady way
To shine with a weak, unsteady light
To go on and off quickly as a light or screen
To appear briefly on a screen or device
To flash on and off quickly
To shine with a small quick flicker of light
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
A large woodpecker with red feathers under its wings and on its tail that lives in the western United States
A large woodpecker with yellow feathers under its wings and tail and a red patch on its neck
How Unsteady
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Flicker comes from the short verb flick, which means a quick, light movement. So when a flame or light moves in quick, small, unsteady ways, we say it 'flickers'.