flicker1

[flik-er] /ˈflɪk ər/
verb (used without object)
1.
to burn unsteadily; shine with a wavering light:
The candle flickered in the wind and went out.
2.
to move to and fro; vibrate; quiver:
The long grasses flickered in the wind.
3.
to flutter.
verb (used with object)
4.
to cause to flicker.
noun
5.
an unsteady flame or light.
6.
a flickering movement.
7.
a brief occurrence or appearance:
a flicker of hope.
8.
Often, flickers. Slang. flick2 .
9.
Ophthalmology. the visual sensation of flickering that occurs when the interval between intermittent flashes of light is too long to permit fusion.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English flikeren (v.) Old English flicorian to flutter; cognate with Dutch flikkeren
Related forms
flickeringly, adverb
flickery, adjective
unflickering, adjective
unflickeringly, adverb
Synonyms
1. flare, flash, gleam, shimmer.

flicker2

[flik-er] /ˈflɪk ər/
noun
1.
any of several American woodpeckers of the genus Colaptes, having the underside of the wings and tail brightly marked with yellow or red and noted for taking insects from the ground as well as trees.
Origin
1800-10, Americanism; said to be imitative of the bird's note
Examples from the web for flicker
  • Yet that is still only a flicker of what is possible.
  • There was a flicker of interest in the problem a few years ago but it was snuffed out by the recession.
  • It has also increased the market's sensitivity to upsets which during times of plenty would barely cause the price to flicker.
  • Or rather, dozens of overlapping micro-wars flicker, in which almost all the victims are civilians.
  • Usually it can shrug off the loss of a generating station or a power line without a flicker.
  • Office fluorescent lights that constantly flicker can act as a stimulant that saps energy.
  • Bonus: they also eliminate the bulbs' annoying flicker.
  • Ambiguous images seem to flicker between two alternatives, as if the brain cannot quite make up its mind how to perceive them.
  • Specimens flicker by in an entrancing crescendo until the video becomes a frenzied slew of images.
  • They actually flicker and they have more wires than the old series incandescent strings.
British Dictionary definitions for flicker

flicker1

/ˈflɪkə/
verb
1.
(intransitive) to shine with an unsteady or intermittent light: a candle flickers
2.
(intransitive) to move quickly to and fro; quiver, flutter, or vibrate
3.
(transitive) to cause to flicker
noun
4.
an unsteady or brief light or flame
5.
a swift quivering or fluttering movement
6.
a visual sensation, often seen in a television image, produced by periodic fluctuations in the brightness of light at a frequency below that covered by the persistence of vision
7.
(pl) the flicker, a US word for flick2 (sense 2)
Derived Forms
flickeringly, adverb
flickery, adjective
Word Origin
Old English flicorian; related to Dutch flikkeren, Old Norse flökra to flutter

flicker2

/ˈflɪkə/
noun
1.
any North American woodpecker of the genus Colaptes, esp C. auratus (yellow-shafted flicker), which has a yellow undersurface to the wings and tail
Word Origin
C19: perhaps imitative of the bird's call
Word Origin and History for flicker
v.

Old English flicorian "to flutter, flap quickly and lightly," originally of birds. Onomatopoeic and suggestive of quick motion. Sense of "shine with a wavering light" is c.1600, but not common till 19c. Related: Flickered; flickering.

n.

1849, "wavering, unsteady light or flame;" 1857 as "a flickering," from flicker (v.).

Slang definitions & phrases for flicker

flick

noun
  1. A movie: a cheapie hard-core porno flick/ He will play a role in the flick
  2. A movie theater
Related Terms

skin flick

[1920s+; fr the flickering of early movie images]