flicker

1 of 3

verb

flick·​er ˈfli-kər 

flickered; flickering ˈfli-k(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

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.

transitive verb

1

: to cause to flicker

2

: to produce by flickering

flicker

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

a

: an act of flickering

b

: a sudden brief movement

the flicker of an eyelash

c

: a momentary arousal (as of interest or emotion)

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

flickery

ˈfli-k(ə-)rē 

adjective

flicker

3 of 3

noun (2)

: 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 of flicker

Verb

• flutter
• flit
• dart
• dance
• flick

Noun (1)

• movie
• film
• flick
• documentary

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

Verb

Their disparate sonic elements form a dissonant but cohesive whole, wisps of trumpet and electronic woodwinds flashing by as quickly as flickering subway car lights. — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026

Approximately the size of a dining-room table, the canvas has fifteen people distributed along a set of stairs in front of a mosque, all of them flickering with very different kinds of life. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Noun

That microscopic shift alters the laser beams ever so slightly, producing a tiny flicker of light that alerts scientists to a distant cosmic event. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 25 July 2026

Since then, there were brief flickers from the likes of Paul Robinson or Rob Green, but there was a natural ceiling as to whom Leeds fielded as their goalkeeper when outside the top division of English football. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English flikeren, from Old English flicorian

Noun (2)

probably imitative of its call

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1808, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing flicker

• flea-flicker
• red-shafted flicker
• yellow-shafted flicker

Rhymes for flicker

• bicker
• dicker
• kicker
• liquor
• picker
• quicker
• ricker
• sicker
• slicker
• snicker
• sticker
• thicker

Kids Definition

flicker

1 of 3 verb

flick·​er ˈflik-ər 

flickered; flickering -(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to move irregularly or unsteadily : flutter

2

: to burn unsteadily or with a constantly changing light

a flickering candle

flicker

2 of 3 noun

1

: an act of flickering

2

: a brief stirring

a flicker of interest

3

: a flickering light

flickery

ˈflik-(ə-)rē 

adjective

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