flashbulb

noun

flash·​bulb ˈflash-ˌbəlb How to pronounce flashbulb (audio)
: an electric bulb that can be used only once to produce a brief and very bright flash for taking photographs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Premieres are mythical things to most people, full of flashbulbs and red carpets and, to a writer, that rarest thing of all: acknowledgement. Kevin Biegel, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 May 2023 There were other Hollywood emissaries and global cinema stars basking in the fading sunlight and flashbulbs. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 16 May 2023 Victoria Beckham fashioned herself in a glittery, sheer minidress that glowed in front of flashbulbs at the exclusive event. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 1 May 2023 The question lashes out, sharp as a flashbulb’s glare, in the electric Mosaic Theater Company production directed by Johanna Gruenhut. Celia Wren, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023 There are the ancient pines and manicured roses; the free-flowing Champagne; and, of course, the cliffside pool where 21st-century titans of film and fashion escape the flashbulbs of La Croisette during the Cannes film festival. Celia Ellenberg, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2023 Franz Gertsch, a Swiss artist acclaimed as one of the masters of hyper-realistic painting whose work often evoked a flashbulb-like sharpness on subjects ranging from landscapes to punk rocker Patti Smith in the 1970s, died Dec. 21 at a hospital in Riggisberg, Switzerland. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2022 May, at first, is one of them, posing for (pre-smartphone) flashbulb photos and fully in tune with the theatrical self-invention that infuses the club. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2023 Some people believe that a flashbulb goes off, and memory is burned in forever. cleveland, 26 Dec. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flashbulb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flashbulb was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near flashbulb

Cite this Entry

“Flashbulb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flashbulb. Accessed 3 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

flashbulb

noun
flash·​bulb -ˌbəlb How to pronounce flashbulb (audio)
: an electric bulb that produces a brief and very bright flash for taking photographs

More from Merriam-Webster on flashbulb

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!