flash (fl sh)
v. flashed, flash·ing, flash·es
v.intr.
1. To burst forth into or as if into flame.
2. To give off light or be lighted in sudden or intermittent bursts.
3. To appear or occur suddenly: The image flashed onto the screen.
4. To move or proceed rapidly: The cars flashed by.
5. To hang up a phone line momentarily, as when using call waiting.
6. Slang To think of or remember something suddenly: flashed on that time we got caught in the storm.
7. Slang To expose oneself in an indecent manner.
v.tr.
1.
a. To cause (light) to appear suddenly or in intermittent bursts.
b. To cause to burst into flame.
c. To reflect (light).
d. To cause to reflect light from (a surface).
2. To make known or signal by flashing lights.
3. To communicate or display at great speed: flashed the news to the world capitals.
4. To exhibit briefly.
5. To hang up (a phone line) momentarily, as when using call waiting.
6. To display ostentatiously; flaunt.
7. To fill suddenly with water.
8. To cover with a thin protective layer.
n.
1. A sudden, brief, intense display of light.
2. A sudden perception: a flash of insight.
3. A split second; an instant: I'll be on my way in a flash.
4. A brief news dispatch or transmission.
5. Slang Gaudy or ostentatious display: "The antique flash and trash of an older southern California have given way to a sleeker age of cultural hip" (Newsweek).
6. A flashlight.
7.
a. Instantaneous illumination for photography: photograph by flash.
b. A device, such as a flashbulb, flashgun, or flash lamp, used to produce such illumination.
8. Slang The pleasurable sensation that accompanies the use of a drug; a rush.
9. Obsolete The language or cant of thieves, tramps, or underworld figures.
adj.
Idiom:
1. Happening suddenly or very quickly: flash freezing.
2. Slang Ostentatious; showy: a flash car.
3. Of or relating to figures of quarterly economic growth released by the government and subject to later revision.
4. Of or relating to photography using instantaneous illumination.
5. Of or relating to thieves, swindlers, and underworld figures.
flash in the pan
One that promises great success but fails.
[Middle English flashen, to splash, variant of flasken, of imitative origin.]
Synonyms: flash, gleam, glance1, glint, sparkle, glitter, glisten, shimmer, glimmer, twinkle, scintillate
These verbs mean to send forth light. Flash refers to a sudden and brilliant but short-lived outburst of light: A bolt of lightning flashed across the horizon. Gleam implies transient or constant light that often appears against a dark background: "The light gleams an instant, then it's night once more" (Samuel Beckett). Glance refers most often to light reflected obliquely: Moonlight glanced off the windows of the darkened building. Glint applies to briefly gleaming or flashing light: Rays of sun glinted among the autumn leaves. Sparkle suggests a rapid succession of little flashes of high brilliance (crystal glasses sparkling in the candlelight), and glitter, a similar succession of even greater intensity (jewels glittering in the display case). To glisten is to shine with a sparkling luster: The snow glistened in the dawn light. Shimmer means to shine with a soft, tremulous light: "Everything about her shimmered and glimmered softly, as if her dress had been woven out of candle-beams" (Edith Wharton). Glimmer refers to faint, fleeting light: "On the French coast, the light/Gleams, and is gone; the cliffs of England stand,/Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay" (Matthew Arnold). To twinkle is to shine with quick, intermittent flashes or gleams: "a few stars, twinkling faintly in the deep blue of the night sky" (Hugh Walpole). Scintillate is applied to what flashes as if emitting sparks in a continuous stream: "ammonium chloride . . . depositing minute scintillating crystals on the windowpanes" (Primo Levi). See Also Synonyms at moment. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
flash [flæʃ]
n
1. a sudden short blaze of intense light or flame a flash of sunlight
2. a sudden occurrence or display, esp one suggestive of brilliance a flash of understanding
3. a very brief space of time over in a flash
4. an ostentatious display a flash of her diamonds
5. (Communication Arts / Journalism & Publishing) Also called newsflash a short news announcement concerning a new event
6. (Military) Also called patch Chiefly Brit an insignia or emblem worn on a uniform, vehicle, etc., to identify its military formation
7. a patch of bright colour on a dark background, such as light marking on an animal
8. (Chemistry) a volatile mixture of inorganic salts used to produce a glaze on bricks or tiles
9. (Transport / Nautical Terms)
a. a sudden rush of water down a river or watercourse
b. a device, such as a sluice, for producing such a rush
10. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Photography) Photog informal short for flashlight [2], flash photography
11. (Engineering / Metallurgy) a ridge of thin metal or plastic formed on a moulded object by the extrusion of excess material between dies
12. Yorkshire and Lancashire dialect a pond, esp one produced as a consequence of subsidence
13. (modifier) involving, using, or produced by a flash of heat, light, etc. flash blindness flash distillation
flash in the pan a project, person, etc., that enjoys only short-lived success, notoriety, etc.
adj
1. Informal ostentatious or vulgar
2. Informal of or relating to gamblers and followers of boxing and racing
3. sham or counterfeit
4. Informal relating to or characteristic of the criminal underworld
5. brief and rapid flash freezing
vb
1. to burst or cause to burst suddenly or intermittently into flame
2. to emit or reflect or cause to emit or reflect light suddenly or intermittently
3. (intr) to move very fast he flashed by on his bicycle
4. (intr) to come rapidly (into the mind or vision)
5. (intr; foll by out or up) to appear like a sudden light his anger really flashes out at times
6.
a. to signal or communicate very fast to flash a message
b. to signal by use of a light, such as car headlights
7. (tr) Informal to display ostentatiously to flash money around
8. (tr) Informal to show suddenly and briefly
9. (intr) Brit slang to expose oneself indecently
10. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) (tr) to cover (a roof) with flashing
11. (Transport / Nautical Terms) to send a sudden rush of water down (a river, etc.), or to carry (a vessel) down by this method
12. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Ceramics) (in the making of glass) to coat (glass) with a thin layer of glass of a different colour
13. (Physics / General Physics) (tr) to subject to a brief pulse of heat or radiation
14. (Physics / General Physics) (tr) to change (a liquid) to a gas by causing it to hit a hot surface
15. Obsolete to splash or dash (water)
[C14 (in the sense: to rush, as of water): of unknown origin]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
flash (flæʃ)
n.
1. a brief, sudden burst of bright light.
2. a sudden, brief outburst or display, as of joy or wit.
3. an instant.
5. gaudy or vulgar showiness.
6. a brief dispatch giving preliminary news of an important story.
7. bright artificial light thrown briefly upon a subject during a photographic exposure.
8. the sudden flame or intense heat produced by a bomb or other explosive device.
9. a sudden thought, insight, or vision.
10. Slang. rush 1 (def. 26).
11. hot flash.
12. Obs. thieves' slang.
v.i.
13. to break forth into sudden flame or light, esp. transiently.
14. to gleam.
15. to appear suddenly.
16. to move like a flash.
17. to speak with sudden anger (often fol. by out).
18. to break into sudden action.
19. Slang. to expose one's genitals in public.
v.t.
20. to emit or send forth (fire or light) in sudden flashes.
21. to cause to flash, as powder by ignition.
22. to send forth like a flash.
23. to communicate instantaneously, as by radio or telegraph.
24. to make an ostentatious display of.
25. to display suddenly and briefly.
26. to increase the flow of water in (a river, channel, etc.).
27.
a. to coat (glass or ceramics) with a layer of colored, opalescent, or white glass.
b. to apply (such a layer).
c. to color or make (glass) opaque by reheating.
28. to protect (a roof, etc.) from leakage with flashing.
adj.
29. sudden and brief: a flash storm.
30. showy; ostentatious.
31. belonging to or connected with thieves.
Idioms:
1. flash in the pan,
a. a brief intense effort that produces negligible results.
b. a person whose promise or success is transitory.
2. flash on, Slang. to have a sudden vivid memory of or insight about.
[1350–1400; Middle English: to sprinkle, splash]
flash′er, n.
flash′ing•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  flash - a sudden intense burst of radiant energy
heat flash - a flash of intense heat (as released by an atomic explosion)
lightning - the flash of light that accompanies an electric discharge in the atmosphere (or something resembling such a flash); can scintillate for a second or more
streak - a sudden flash (as of lightning)
|
| 2. | flash - a momentary brightness
brightness - the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
| |
| 3. | flash - a short vivid experience; "a flash of emotion swept over him"; "the flashings of pain were a warning"
experience - an event as apprehended; "a surprising experience"; "that painful experience certainly got our attention"
| |
| 4. | flash - a sudden brilliant understanding; "he had a flash of intuition" | |
| 5. |  flash - a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat); "if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash"
| |
| 6. |  flash - a gaudy outward display
display - exhibiting openly in public view; "a display of courage"
exhibitionism - extravagant and conspicuous behavior intended to attract attention to yourself
ritz - ostentatious display of elegance; "they put on the ritz"
splurge - an ostentatious display (of effort or extravagance etc.)
pedantry - an ostentatious and inappropriate display of learning
| |
| 7. | flash - a burst of light used to communicate or illuminate
visual signal - a signal that involves visual communication
star shell - an artillery shell containing an illuminant
Bengal light - a steady bright blue light; formerly used as a signal but now a firework
Very light, Very-light - a colored flare fired from a Very pistol
| |
| 8. |  flash - a short news announcement concerning some on-going news story
bulletin - a brief report (especially an official statement issued for immediate publication or broadcast)
| |
| 9. | flash - a bright patch of color used for decoration or identification; "red flashes adorned the airplane"; "a flash sewn on his sleeve indicated the unit he belonged to"
patch - a piece of cloth used as decoration or to mend or cover a hole
| |
| 10. |  flash - a lamp for providing momentary light to take a photograph
flash camera - a camera with a photoflash attachment
lamp - an artificial source of visible illumination
photographic equipment - equipment used by a photographer
| |
| Verb | 1. |  flash - gleam or glow intermittently; "The lights were flashing"
radiate - cause to be seen by emitting light as if in rays; "The sun is radiating"
|
| 2. | flash - appear briefly; "The headlines flashed on the screen"
appear - come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon"
| |
| 3. | flash - display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously; "he showed off his new sports car"
display, exhibit, expose - to show, make visible or apparent; "The Metropolitan Museum is exhibiting Goya's works this month"; "Why don't you show your nice legs and wear shorter skirts?"; "National leaders will have to display the highest skills of statesmanship"
flex - exhibit the strength of; "The victorious army flexes its invincibility"
splurge - be showy or ostentatious
| |
| 4. | flash - make known or cause to appear with great speed; "The latest intelligence is flashed to all command posts"
convey - make known; pass on, of information; "She conveyed the message to me"
| |
| 5. | flash - run or move very quickly or hastily; "She dashed into the yard"
plunge - dash violently or with great speed or impetuosity; "She plunged at it eagerly"
shoot down, tear, buck, charge, shoot - move quickly and violently; "The car tore down the street"; "He came charging into my office"
hie, hotfoot, pelt along, race, rush, rush along, speed, step on it, belt along, bucket along, cannonball along, hasten - move fast; "He rushed down the hall to receive his guests"; "The cars raced down the street"
cut back, flash back - return in time; "the film cut back to an earlier event in the story"
| |
| 6. | flash - expose or show briefly; "he flashed a $100 bill"
show - make visible or noticeable; "She showed her talent for cooking"; "Show me your etchings, please"
| |
| 7. | flash - protect by covering with a thin sheet of metal; "flash the roof"
cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"
| |
| 8. | flash - emit a brief burst of light; "A shooting star flashed and was gone"
appear - come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon"
| |
| Adj. | 1. |  flash - tastelessly showy; "a flash car"; "a flashy ring"; "garish colors"; "a gaudy costume"; "loud sport shirts"; "a meretricious yet stylish book"; "tawdry ornaments"
tasteless - lacking aesthetic or social taste
|
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
flash
noun
verb
1. blaze, shine, beam, sparkle, glitter, flare, glare, gleam, light up, flicker, shimmer, twinkle, glint, glisten, scintillate, coruscate Lightning flashed among the distant dark clouds.
2. speed, race, shoot, fly, tear, sweep, dash, barrel (along) (informal, chiefly U.S. & Canad.), whistle, sprint, bolt, streak, dart, zoom, burn rubber (informal) Cars flashed by every few minutes.
adjective
(Informal) ostentatious, smart, glamorous, trendy, showy, cheap flash jewellery and watches
in a flash in a moment, in a second, in an instant, in a split second, in a trice, in a jiffy (informal), in the twinkling of an eye, in a twinkling, in two shakes of a lamb's tail (informal), in the bat of an eye (informal) The answer came to him in a flash.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
flash (flӕʃ) noun
ˈflashlight noun
flash →
1. a quick showing of a bright light. a flash of lightning.
2. a moment; a very short time. He was with her in a flash.
3. a flashlight.
4. (often ˈnewsflash) a brief news report sent by radio, television etc. Did you hear the flash about the king's death?
verb
1. (of a light) to (cause to) shine quickly. He flashed a torch.
2. (usually with by or past) to pass quickly. The days flashed by; The cars flashed past.
3. to show; to display. He flashed a card and was allowed to pass.
ˈflashing adjective
flashing lights.
ˈflashy adjective
big, bright etc but cheap and of poor quality. flashy clothes.
ˈflashily adverb
1. a (battery) torch.
2. (often abbreviated to flash) an instrument which produces a sudden bright light for taking photographs.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
flash →
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a fri
