flicker

¹flick·er

verb \ˈfli-kər\

flick·eredflick·er·ing \-k(ə-)riŋ\

Definition of FLICKER

intransitive verb

1

: to move irregularly or unsteadily : flutter

2

: to burn or shine fitfully or with a fluctuating light <a candle flickering in the window>

3

: to appear briefly

transitive verb

1

: to cause to flicker

2

: to produce by flickering

— flick·er·ing·ly \-k(ə-)riŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of FLICKER

1. A TV was flickering in the background.
2. The overhead light kept flickering off and on.
3. Thoughts flickered through his mind.
4. A smile flickered across her face.

Origin of FLICKER

Middle English flikeren, from Old English flicorian

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to FLICKER

Synonyms

dance, dart, flick, flit, flirt, flitter, flutter, zip

Related Words

dash, fly, sail, shoot, speed, sprint, zing, zoom; scamper, scud, scurry, scuttle, skip, skitter; meander, ramble, roam, wander

Near Antonyms

float, hang, hover

Rhymes with FLICKER

bicker, clicker, dicker, kicker, liquor, nicker, picker, pricker, sicker, slicker, snicker, sticker, ticker, tricker, vicar, whicker, wicker

²flicker

noun

Definition of FLICKER

1

a : an act of flickering

b : a sudden brief movement

c : a momentary quickening <a flicker of anger>

d : a slight indication : hint

2

a : a wavering light

b : a repeated momentary defect in a cathode-ray tube image caused especially by slow scanning of the screen

3

: movie —often used in plural

— flick·ery \ˈfli-k(ə-)rē\ adjective

First Known Use of FLICKER

1822

Rhymes with FLICKER

bicker, dicker, liquor, nicker, sicker, snicker, whicker, wicker

³flicker

noun

Definition of FLICKER

: 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

Origin of FLICKER

probably imitative of its call

First Known Use: 1809

flick·er

noun \ˈflik-ər\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of FLICKER

: 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

flicker

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Yellow-shafted flicker (Colaptes auratus)—B.M. Shaub

Any of six species of New World woodpeckers (genus Colaptes) noted for spending much time on the ground eating ants. The sticky saliva of the flicker is alkaline, perhaps to counteract the formic acid that ants secrete. Its bill is more slender than that of most woodpeckers and is slightly down-curved. Most flickers have a white rump, black breast band, and varied head markings, and most are about 13 in. (33 cm) long.