flash

1 of 4

verb

ˈflash 

flashed; flashing; flashes

intransitive verb

1

: rush, dash

—used of flowing water

2

: to break forth in or like a sudden flame or flare

3

a

: to appear suddenly

an idea flashes into her mind

b

: to move with great speed

the days flash by

4

a

: to break forth or out so as to make a sudden display

b

: to act or speak vehemently and suddenly especially in anger

5

a

: to give off light suddenly or in transient bursts

b

: to glow or gleam especially with animation or passion

her eyes flashed with anger

6

: to change suddenly or violently into vapor

7

: to expose one's breasts or genitals usually suddenly and briefly in public

8

: to have sudden insight

—often used with on

transitive verb

1

a

archaic : splash

b

: to fill by a sudden inflow of water

2

a

: to cause the sudden appearance of (light)

b

: to cause to burst violently into flame

c(1)

: to cause (light) to reflect

(2)

: to cause (something) to reflect light

flash a mirror

(3)

: to cause (a lamp) to flash

d

: to convey by means of flashes of light

3

a

: to make known or cause to appear with great speed

flash a message on the screen

b

: to display obtrusively and ostentatiously

always flashing a roll of bills

c

: to expose to view usually suddenly and briefly

flashed a badge

4

: to cover with or form into a thin layer: such as

a

: to protect against rain by covering with sheet metal or a substitute

b

: to coat (glass) with a thin layer (as of metal or a differently colored glass)

5

: to subject (an exposed photographic negative or positive) to a supplementary uniform exposure to light before development in order to modify detail or tone

6

: to expose one's breasts or genitals usually suddenly and briefly to

flashed the audience

flash

2 of 4

noun

1

a

: a sudden burst of light

b

: a movement of a flag in signaling

2

: a sudden and often brilliant burst

a flash of wit

3

: a brief time

4

a

: show, display

especially : a vulgar ostentatious display

b

archaic : a showy ostentatious person

c

: one that attracts notice

especially : an outstanding athlete

d

: pizzazz

5

obsolete : thieves' slang

6

: something flashed: such as

a

: glimpse, look

b

: smile

c

: a first brief news report

d

: flashlight sense 1

e

: a quick-spreading flame or momentary intense outburst of radiant heat

f(1)

: flashlight sense 2

(2)

: a device for producing a flashlight for taking photographs

7

: rush sense 7a

8

: the rapid conversion of a liquid into vapor

flash

3 of 4

adjective

1

a

: flashy, showy

b

: of, relating to, or characteristic of flashy people or things

flash behavior

c

: of, relating to, or characteristic of persons considered social outcasts

flash language

2

: of sudden origin and short duration

a flash fire

3

: having or using a solid-state data storage technology that retains data even without a connection to a power source

flash memory

flash

4 of 4

adverb

: by very brief exposure to an intense altering agent (such as heat or cold)

flash fry

flash freeze

Did you know?

The origin of the word flash is uncertain, although it rhymes with a number of other verbs that also mean forceful, often violent movement that may come to a quick end: dash, lash, crash, slash, clash, gash, bash, splash, smash. These words turn up in English over a fairly long period of time, from dash— the only word in the group with a likely foreign source—in the 14th century, to smash in the 18th century. The element -ash has thus provided a kind of model for new words. The initial fl – that is added to -ash to make flash is also heard in words meaning quick movement, as flee, fly, flicker, and flutter.

Synonyms

Verb

• coruscate
• flame
• glance
• gleam
• glimmer
• glint
• glisten
• glister
• glitter
• luster
• lustre
• scintillate
• shimmer
• spangle
• sparkle
• twinkle
• wink
• winkle

Noun

• burst
• flare
• flare-up
• flicker
• flurry
• flutter
• outbreak
• outburst
• spurt

Adjective

• brief
• deciduous
• ephemeral
• evanescent
• fleeting
• fugacious
• fugitive
• impermanent
• momentary
• passing
• short-lived
• temporary
• transient
• transitory

Choose the Right Synonym for flash

flash, gleam, glint, sparkle, glitter, glisten, glimmer, shimmer mean to send forth light.

flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light.

lightning flashed

gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background.

lights gleamed in the valley

glint implies a cold glancing light.

glinting steel

sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light.

the sparkling waters

glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming.

glittering diamonds

glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface.

glistening wet sidewalk

glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam.

a distant glimmering light

shimmer means shining with a wavering light.

a shimmering satin dress

Examples of flash in a Sentence

Verb

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.

Cameras flashed as the celebrities passed.

A car was sitting on the side of the road with its lights flashing.

A message flashed on the screen.

The screen flashed a message in black letters.

Her eyes flashed with anger.

Noun

A brilliant flash lit up the sky.

The idea for the movie came to her in a flash of inspiration.

They relied on gimmicks and flash to get people's attention.

a show with a lot of flash but little substance

Adjective

flash floods in the local area

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Extremely versatile and easy to wrap around just about anything, these waterproof lights feature eight lighting modes, including fireflies, flashing, fading, chasing, flashing, fading slowly, twinkle, and steady-on. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Apr. 2024

To enhance your visibility and safety even further, use a small flashing indicator light, Patel said. —Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 19 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English flaschen, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

circa 1700, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

1970, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing flash

• flash back
• flash-bang
• flash-bang grenade
• flash card
• flash drive
• flash flood
• flash-forward
• flash freeze
• flash grenade
• flash in the pan
• flash mob
• flash point
• flash tube
• green flash
• hot flash
• in a flash
• news flash
• quick as a flash

Kids Definition

flash

1 of 3 verb

ˈflash 

1

: to shine in or like a sudden flame

lightning flashed

her eyes flashed with excitement

2

: to send out in or as if in flashes

flash a message

3

: to appear or pass very suddenly

a car flashed by

4

: to gleam or glow in sudden bursts

5

: to expose to view usually briefly

flash a badge

flash

2 of 3 noun

1

a

: a sudden burst of light, flame, or heat

b

: a movement of a flag or light in signaling

2

: a sudden and brilliant burst

a flash of wit

3

: a brief time

4

: one that attracts notice

especially : an outstanding athlete

5

: a device for producing a brief and very bright flash of light for taking photographs

flash

3 of 3 adjective

1

: beginning suddenly and lasting only a short time

a flash fire

2

: having or using a solid-state data storage technology that retains data even without a connection to a power source

Etymology

Verb

Middle English flaschen

Word Origin

The origin of the word flash is uncertain, though it rhymes with a number of other verbs that also mean forceful, often violent movement that may come to a quick end: dash, lash, crash, slash, clash, gash, bash, splash, smash. These words turn up in English over a fairly long period of time, from dash—the only word in the group with a likely foreign source—in the 14th century to smash in the 18th century. The element -ash has thus provided a kind of model for new words. The initial fl- that is added to -ash to make flash is also heard in words meaning quick movement, as flee, fly, flicker, and flutter.

Medical Definition

flash

noun

ˈflash 

: rush sense 2 compare hot flash