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
Jenny Berg, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
Exodus became a dangerous trail of taillights flickering through the dust like fading fireflies, and camps across the playa feared they’d be stuck breaking down until the end of the week.
—Morena Duwe, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Sep. 2024
The beveled glass panels of this screen reflect even moderate flickers from fires, filling the room with a dazzling light display.
—Nora Colomer, Fox News, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flicker 
Verb
The miniature lotions, body creams, and colognes are perfect for stowing in guest rooms, and the candles bring festive, flickering light to any home.
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024
Exodus became a dangerous trail of taillights flickering through the dust like fading fireflies, and camps across the playa feared they’d be stuck breaking down until the end of the week.
—Morena Duwe, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024
Noun
Keep Your Devices Charged Be proactive and charge your cellphone and laptop before the lights start to flicker.
—Tessa Cooper, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Sep. 2024
The beveled glass panels of this screen reflect even moderate flickers from fires, filling the room with a dazzling light display.
—Nora Colomer, Fox News, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for flicker
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flicker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Flicker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flicker. Accessed 8 Oct. 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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