How to Use flash in a Sentence

flash

1 of 3 verb
  • A message flashed on the screen.
  • Her eyes flashed with anger.
  • A car was sitting on the side of the road with its lights flashing.
  • The screen flashed a message in black letters.
  • Cameras flashed as the celebrities passed.
  • Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.
  • One of the women flashed a V sign, and the crowd erupted.
    Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 10 Dec. 2023
  • Hill flashed a peace sign to the video before running off the field.
    Scott Thompson, Fox News, 15 Oct. 2023
  • Soon enough, the film flashes forward to the summer of 1969, around the time of the moon landing.
    Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 June 2023
  • Such receipt would cause the device to flash a light and buzz, pager-style.
    Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 7 July 2023
  • When the monologues ended, pictures of their sons flashed on the screen.
    Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
  • In the three-minute clip, Johnson speaks to fans while flashbacks of the group on tour and the band today flash across the screen.
    Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 17 May 2023
  • The labor market flashed some warning signs at the end of last year.
    Joseph De Avila, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2024
  • In the second week, a new prisoner brought in a watch that flashed the date and time.
    Alex Horton, Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2023
  • In the months before the attacks, Suzanne Maloney and Marc Lynch saw the lights flashing red.
    Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2023
  • Hit one of the 12 private beaches guests have access to and flash your best smile.
    Claire Stern, ELLE, 28 June 2023
  • Technicolor lights flashed through a crack in the door.
    Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 28 June 2023
  • By the end of the film, Penn is speaking directly to the viewer in voiceover, as images flash on the screen.
    Miriam Elder, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2023
  • The panel will flash in the event more water is needed or if the ice basket is low.
    Stacey Ritzen, Popular Science, 19 July 2023
  • The pair flashed beaming smiles in the photo from November 2023.
    Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024
  • After all, visions of a smile made of flashing metal may come to the mind’s eye.
    cleveland, 24 Aug. 2023
  • In the clip, the mother of four took a bite of a crunchy cookie and flashed an eye-catching mega diamond in the process.
    Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
  • First, the team covered James' transplanted eye and flashed a light.
    Jon Lapook, CBS News, 9 Nov. 2023
  • On screen a photo of Johnson in that starry crowd flashed.
    William Earl, Variety, 28 Jan. 2024
  • Watts flashed a big grin as Vargas applied one of her products with a brush.
    Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 7 Jan. 2024
  • The trailer flashes a scene of Heidi wrestling Howie to keep him from reaching the button.
    Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 11 Dec. 2023
  • As Nicholson read the copy, pictures of her and her boyfriend Riley Nagel flashed on a screen behind her.
    Stephanie Gallman Jordan, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2023
  • The lightning bolt flashes on stage, a floodlight prowls, the rainbow array of stage lights pulse.
    Jeff Weiss, Spin, 21 Aug. 2023
  • When the Grammy winner finished, the lights flashed rainbow colors, and the crowd cheered loudly.
    Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
  • Mention their names and Washington flashes the pearly whites.
    Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 10 Apr. 2024
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flash

2 of 3 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.
  • The advice wasn’t so much a panacea as a flash of hope.
    Emma Goldberg, New York Times, 14 May 2023
  • The lighting turned from a bright white to quick red flashes to show the chaos.
    Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 10 Dec. 2023
  • When he's been able to be on the field, he's showed flashes of promise.
    Kelsey Conway, The Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2023
  • The sign is covered in light-up snowflakes that shine bright with two modes: steady on or flash.
    Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 15 Nov. 2023
  • But overall the severe risk is lower and the main threat is flash flooding due to the heavy rain.
    Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2024
  • The flash sale will start at 9 a.m. PST, you'll be given a spot in line, and be able to track your progress in real time.
    Madison Flager, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Nov. 2023
  • The threat of heavy rain will also exist, but the speed of the system is likely to limit flash flooding.
    Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 21 Nov. 2023
  • There's another flash and Hawk is taking a photo of Tim along the beach, years in the future.
    Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 June 2023
  • There was a flash, and the whoosh of several incoming shells sent the team diving into the mud.
    Michael Schwirtz David Guttenfelder, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2023
  • The scallops went down cold, still dripping with bay water, a flash of buttery meat with a light taste of salt.
    Christopher Maag, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2024
  • Dressed in corduroy overalls and a white T-shirt, the toddler plays with a toy as a flash of his red hair can be seen under the hat.
    Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Then Aaron Choate walks to the center of the stage, ponytail swinging, and arches under a spotlight topped with a strobe flash.
    Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024
  • The agent turned, and O’Leary got the crucial image, a harsh strobe of a flash catching the disgraced city leader as he was rushed into his house.
    Natalia Jiménez-Stuard, Washington Post, 30 Dec. 2023
  • One of the two major explosions knocked out windows on the second floor of the building where the leak occurred and caused a flash fire, the fire chief said.
    Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 18 Jan. 2024
  • The landscape simply doesn’t have time to absorb the deluge, leading to flash flooding.
    WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
  • Even her navy blue skirt suit was a little bit special, with a small notch-collar lapel and the cuffs turned up to reveal a flash of white.
    Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 9 May 2023
  • And yet, through his lens, these are remade, calling forth a metaphorical awakening—the heat and flash of the new.
    Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2023
  • Ditto with Gardeck, a special teams ace who has shown flashes as a pass rusher.
    Bob McManaman, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2023
  • Still, flashes of Killers of the Flower Moon kept coming to me in the middle of Taylor’s performance.
    Sarah Spellings, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2023
  • Silencers attach to the end of the barrel of pistols and rifles and muffle the sound of gunshots, as well as mask muzzle flash.
    Kevin Krause, Dallas News, 31 May 2023
  • Real cannons were used, and the effects team added smoke and muzzle flashes.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024
  • Heavy rainfall will be one of the storm’s most serious threats and could result in flash flooding and mudslides.
    Jason Hanna, CNN, 21 Oct. 2023
  • Heavy rains hit Northeast Ohio overnight, causing flash flooding throughout the area.
    Joe Noga, cleveland, 24 Aug. 2023
  • In addition to the flash flooding, there is also a concern for severe storms.
    Jennifer Gray, CNN, 10 May 2023
  • The eighth grader — whom friends and family call TO — appeared in the barbershop mirror in flashes as the chair swiveled.
    Lizzie Johnson, Washington Post, 3 May 2023
  • Severe weather and flash flooding could lead to hazardous travel after the eclipse, the Weather Prediction Center said.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Sam’s Club sometimes offers flash discounts on memberships.
    Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
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flash

3 of 3 adjective
  • If the winds stay to the east, there could be flash snowfalls in the mountains.
    Miguel Almaguer, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2018
  • Flash memory is used in solid-state drives that have replaced many hard drives, and in smartphones and tablets.
    David Staats and Kristin Rodine, idahostatesman, 27 Apr. 2017
  • One of the many challenges the pair faced was the fluctuating light and constant movement of the station, which typically makes non-flash photography harder to achieve.
    Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2020
  • These mass demonstrations have subsided since March and April, but there are still flash protests like the one on Monday, which appear and then dissipate quickly, said Mathieson.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN, 14 June 2021
  • Flash flood criteria will be easily met in any location where additional rain falls.
    Greg Porter, Washington Post, 28 July 2017
  • Flash organizations may even promote upward mobility — if, say, the person brought in to crank out one-line poems can ascend to a supervisory position.
    Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 12 July 2017
  • If the winds stay to the east, there could be flash snowfalls in the mountains.
    Miguel Almaguer, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2018
  • Flash memory is used in solid-state drives that have replaced many hard drives, and in smartphones and tablets.
    David Staats and Kristin Rodine, idahostatesman, 27 Apr. 2017
  • One of the many challenges the pair faced was the fluctuating light and constant movement of the station, which typically makes non-flash photography harder to achieve.
    Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2020
  • These mass demonstrations have subsided since March and April, but there are still flash protests like the one on Monday, which appear and then dissipate quickly, said Mathieson.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN, 14 June 2021
  • Flash flood criteria will be easily met in any location where additional rain falls.
    Greg Porter, Washington Post, 28 July 2017
  • Flash organizations may even promote upward mobility — if, say, the person brought in to crank out one-line poems can ascend to a supervisory position.
    Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 12 July 2017
  • If the winds stay to the east, there could be flash snowfalls in the mountains.
    Miguel Almaguer, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2018
  • Flash memory is used in solid-state drives that have replaced many hard drives, and in smartphones and tablets.
    David Staats and Kristin Rodine, idahostatesman, 27 Apr. 2017
  • One of the many challenges the pair faced was the fluctuating light and constant movement of the station, which typically makes non-flash photography harder to achieve.
    Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2020
  • These mass demonstrations have subsided since March and April, but there are still flash protests like the one on Monday, which appear and then dissipate quickly, said Mathieson.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN, 14 June 2021
  • Flash flood criteria will be easily met in any location where additional rain falls.
    Greg Porter, Washington Post, 28 July 2017
  • Flash organizations may even promote upward mobility — if, say, the person brought in to crank out one-line poems can ascend to a supervisory position.
    Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 12 July 2017
  • If the winds stay to the east, there could be flash snowfalls in the mountains.
    Miguel Almaguer, NBC News, 5 Feb. 2018
  • Flash memory is used in solid-state drives that have replaced many hard drives, and in smartphones and tablets.
    David Staats and Kristin Rodine, idahostatesman, 27 Apr. 2017
  • One of the many challenges the pair faced was the fluctuating light and constant movement of the station, which typically makes non-flash photography harder to achieve.
    Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2020
  • These mass demonstrations have subsided since March and April, but there are still flash protests like the one on Monday, which appear and then dissipate quickly, said Mathieson.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN, 14 June 2021
  • Flash flood criteria will be easily met in any location where additional rain falls.
    Greg Porter, Washington Post, 28 July 2017
  • Flash organizations may even promote upward mobility — if, say, the person brought in to crank out one-line poems can ascend to a supervisory position.
    Noam Scheiber, New York Times, 12 July 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flash.' 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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