flicker
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English flikeren (“to flutter”), from Old English flicerian, flicorian (“to flutter”), from Proto-West Germanic *flikurōn.
Akin to Saterland Frisian flikkerje (“to flicker”),
West Frisian flikkerje (“to flicker”), Dutch flikkeren (“to flicker, flutter”), German Low German flickern (“to light up, flash, flicker”). Compare Old English flacor (“flickering, fluttering”), German flackern (“to flicker, flutter”), Old English flēogan (“to fly”).
Inflected forms:
form: flickers
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: flickers
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: flickering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: flickered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: flickered
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: An unsteady flash of light.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: the flicker of the dying candle
the flicker of an old movie
gloss: A short moment.
pos: noun
tags: countable
figuratively
uncountable
examples: a flicker of emotion
a flicker of hope
a flicker of recognition passed through my mind.
It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.
gloss: To burn or shine unsteadily, or with a wavering light.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The shadows flicker to and fro.
Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth and heaping kindling on the coals, […]
gloss: To keep going on and off; to appear and disappear for short moments; to flutter.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: A strong desire to smash up everything in the room kept flickering in his head.
There I lay on one side with a thin and rotten plank between the dead man and me, dazed with the blow to my head, and breathing hard; while the glow of torches as they came down the passage reddened and flickered on the roof above.
The ruddy brick floor smiled up at the smoky ceiling; the oaken settles, shiny with long wear, exchanged cheerful glances with each other; plates on the dresser grinned at pots on the shelf, and the merry firelight flickered and played over everything without distinction.
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, / And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, / And in short, I was afraid.
1967, Barry Mason (writer), Tom Jones (performer), Delilah
I saw the light on the night that I passed by her window / I saw the flickering shadow of love on her blind
In a city where media companies and hospitals have armed guards, this accessibility is unusual. Inside, drivers sit and chat in between shifts, the overhead fan whirring and causing the dim electric light to flicker over their faces.
gloss: To flutter or flap.
pos: verb
tags: ambitransitive
examples: And flickering on her nest made short essays to sing.
But the child saw her; was it possible? He turned his head towards her, and flickered his baby hands, and cooed with that indescribable voice that goes to every woman's heart.
Derived words: flicker fixer
flickerless
flicker noise
flicker show
flicker wheel
flimmer
flickersome
flickery
aflicker
flickerer
flicker goon
flickertail
upflicker
Translations: