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
Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2024
Monet’s unmixed dabs of paint are laid down on the surface of the canvas, just like the spots of fractured light of the orange sun quivering behind gray fog and flickering across the blue-green surface of the watery harbor at dawn.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024
The relationship will continue to persist, or flicker on, in an imperfect state and with diminishing returns for a considerable period of time.
—Happymon Jacob, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for flicker 
Verb
Choose art inspired by vintage illustrations or autumnal landscapes, and opt for brass candlesticks with flickering candles over bright overhead lights.
—Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2024
Monet’s unmixed dabs of paint are laid down on the surface of the canvas, just like the spots of fractured light of the orange sun quivering behind gray fog and flickering across the blue-green surface of the watery harbor at dawn.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Noun
The light offers all of the features of its predecessor while improving output, flicker, and dimming.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2024
The relationship will continue to persist, or flicker on, in an imperfect state and with diminishing returns for a considerable period of time.
—Happymon Jacob, Foreign Affairs, 22 Sep. 2022
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 15 Jun. 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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