to flicker
66
3.6
- verb
- /ˈflɪkər/
- Electric luminarios lined the stage and flickered in red and green on the dance floor.
- flickering light
- flickering candle
- flickering flame
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Watch on YouTubeShe'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
137
1.0
To give a sudden short bright light
59
4.3
To shine with a soft, slightly moving light
50
2.0
To flash on and off quickly like a light
50
4.5
To shake in small, quick movements because of fear, cold, or excitement
48
1.5
To shine with small quick flashes of light, often in eyes or stars
33
1.0
To shine with small bright flashes of light
20
4.2
To burn or shine with a sudden bright light
18
4.8
To move or shake in a slight, unsteady way
18
1.7
To burn or shine with a bright, hot light
11
3.9
To shine with a weak, unsteady light
9
2.5
To shine on and off quickly like a small light
5
3.7
To go on and off quickly as a light or screen
4
5.4
To flash on and off quickly
1
4.9
To appear briefly on a screen or device
To shine with a small quick flicker of light
Antonyms
Compounds
1
9.9
A large woodpecker with yellow feathers under its wings and tail and a red patch on its neck
- Specialized
1
9.2
A large woodpecker with red feathers under its wings and on its tail that lives in the western United States
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'.