flickered; flickering
ˈfli-k(ə-)riŋ 
1
: to move irregularly or unsteadily : flutter
Shadows flickered on the wall.
2
: to burn or shine fitfully or with a fluctuating light
a candle flickering in the window
3
: to appear or pass briefly or quickly
Thoughts flickered through his mind.
A smile flickered across her face.
1
a
: an act of flickering
b
: a sudden brief movement
the flicker of an eyelash
c
: a momentary quickening
a flicker of anger
d
: a slight indication : hint
a flicker of recognition
2
a
: a wavering light
the flicker of a candle
b
: a repeated momentary defect in a cathode-ray tube image caused especially by slow scanning of the screen
3
dated, informal
: movie
—often used in plural
: a large barred and spotted North American woodpecker (Colaptes auratus) with a brown back that commonly forages on the ground for ants compare red-shafted flicker, yellow-shafted flicker
Synonyms
Examples of flicker in a Sentence
Verb
A TV was flickering in the background.
The overhead light kept flickering off and on.
Thoughts flickered through his mind.
A smile flickered across her face.
Noun (1)
as a child, the future director would spend hours sitting in the theater, totally entranced by the flickers
usually there's a flicker in car sales when the new models come out
there was a flicker of recognition in her eye when I mentioned his name, but she denied knowing him
Recent Examples on the Web
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024
The flickering lights commemorated Lord, 16, who was beaten in a gang attack at a Halloween party one year ago.
—Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 30 Oct. 2024
Sahit Muja, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
North America's severe geomagnetic storm produces visible aurora Early in October, Americans from the northern U.S. and even as far south as Alabama had a chance to witness the striking rays, spirals and flickers of the northern lights.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flicker 
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Verb
The wind howled outside and the lights began to flicker around 8 p.m., Miller told USA TODAY.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024
The flickering lights commemorated Lord, 16, who was beaten in a gang attack at a Halloween party one year ago.
—Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 30 Oct. 2024
Noun
Each flicker of a bulb pays homage to the transformation that petroleum facilitates.
—Sahit Muja, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
North America's severe geomagnetic storm produces visible aurora Early in October, Americans from the northern U.S. and even as far south as Alabama had a chance to witness the striking rays, spirals and flickers of the northern lights.
—Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flicker
Articles Related to flicker
Dictionary Entries Near flicker
Cite this Entry
“Flicker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flicker. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flicker
2 of 3 noun1
: an act of flickering
2
: a brief stirring
a flicker of interest
3
: a flickering light
flicker
3 of 3 noun
: a large insect-eating North American woodpecker with a black crescent on the breast and yellow or red on the underside of the wings and tail compare red-shafted flicker, yellow-shafted flicker
Medical Definition
flicker
noun
flick·er
ˈflik-ər
: the wavering or fluttering visual sensation produced by intermittent light when the interval between flashes is not small enough to produce complete fusion of the individual impressions
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