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. Slang.,  Often flickers flick.

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. (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

Other Word Forms

• flickery adjective
• flickeringly adverb
• unflickering adjective
• unflickeringly 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

When the court lights flicker on at the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Even in this abysmal situation, there are flickers of positivity for the Chargers.

From Los Angeles Times

It was the same look I remembered from that hotel room in Quito, two years and a world ago: worry flickering behind tired eyes, but beneath it, a core of absolute resolve.

From BBC

“Put your hands up,” she says, while a classmate flickers the lights on and off.

From Salon

Solomon led us to a low-lit event space that featured a wall-length mural of a forest accentuated by flickering candles and swinging macramé chairs.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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