flicker
[verb]
Synonyms:
- twinkle, flare, flash, glimmer, gutter, shimmer, sparkle
- flutter, quiver, vibrate, waver
[noun]
Synonyms:
- glimmer, flare, flash, gleam, spark
- trace, breath, glimmer, iota, spark

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Related Words: fluctuate, oscillate, swing, vibrate, waver, blaze, flame, flare, glare, coruscate, glance, gleam, glint, glitter, sparkle, quaver, quiver, tremble

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English Thesaurus: burn, be on fire, be alight, be ablaze, blaze, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. flick‧er¹ /ˈflɪkə $ -ər/ verb [intransitive]
[Language: Old English; Origin: flicorian]

1. to burn or shine with an unsteady light that goes on and off quickly:
The overhead lights flickered momentarily.

2. [always + adverb/preposition] if an emotion or expression flickers on someone’s face or through their mind, it exists or is shown for only a short time
flicker across/through/on etc
A puzzled smile flickered across the woman’s face.

3. to quickly make a sudden small movement or series of movements:
Polly’s eyelids flickered, then she slept.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. flicker² noun [countable]

1. an unsteady light that goes on and off quickly
flicker of
the flicker of the firelight

2. a flicker of emotion/uncertainty/excitement etc a feeling or expression that continues for a very short time:
She saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

3. a quick sudden movement or series of movements

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

flicker
noun
ADJ. faint, slight, small, tiny She caught the faintest flicker of amusement on his face.
brief, momentary | last (often figurative) The secret police were determined to stamp out the last flickers of academic freedom.
VERB + FLICKER give The candle gave one last flicker and went out.
show | catch, notice, see | detect, feel She felt a brief flicker of jealousy.
FLICKER + VERB cross sth A flicker of guilt crossed his face.
catch your eye A flicker of movement caught her eye and she turned her head.
PREP. with a ~ of ‘He'll soon be here,’ she thought, with a flicker of excitement.
without a ~ of She spoke without any flicker of fear.
~ of
PHRASES the flicker of a candle/flame The brief flicker of a candle flame caught our eyes.
the flicker of an eyelid, a flicker of sb's/the eyes Her only reaction was a slight flicker of her eyes.
a flicker of hope/interest European stock markets showed barely a flicker of interest in the election result.
a flicker of light/movement He saw a flicker of light in the darkness.
a flicker of recognition The witness stared at the accused but she showed not a flicker of recognition.
a flicker of a smile I noticed a flicker of a smile on her face.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

flicker
verb
ADV. briefly, for a moment, momentarily | nervously Her eyes flickered nervously in anticipation.
(on and) off, out The lights flickered on and off.
PREP. across/over His gaze flickered over her.
PHRASES flicker into life The television screen flickered into life.
flicker open Katherine's eyes flickered open.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

burn to produce heat and flames:
The fire was still burning.
A pile of branches was burning in the yard.
be on fire if a building, car, piece of clothing etc is on fire, it is burning and being damaged:
Before long, the neighbouring houses were on fire too.
be alight especially written if something is alight, it is burning:
By the time the fire engines got there, the whole building was already alight.
The candle was still alight.
be ablaze especially written if something is ablaze, it is burning with a lot of flames, so that it is seriously damaged:
Twelve hours after the bombing raid, many parts of the city were still ablaze.
The two hundred tonnes of straw were now ablaze and firefighters struggled to get the fire under control.
blaze to burn very brightly with a lot of flames and heat:
A big log fire was blazing in the fireplace.
smoulder British English, smolder American English /ˈsməʊldə $ ˈsmoʊldər/ to burn slowly and continuously, producing smoke but no flames:
A cigarette smouldered in the ashtray.
The fire in the chemical factory was so intense that it was still smouldering a week later.
flicker if a fire or flame flickers, it burns with an unsteady light that appears and disappears quickly:
A welcoming fire flickered in the grate.
Inside the shrine candles flicker next to statues of saints.
catch fire to start burning accidentally:
We were worried the house would catch fire.
Two farm workers died when a barn caught fire yesterday.
burst into flames to suddenly start burning and produce a lot of flames that cause serious damage:
The plane crashed into the side of the mountain and burst into flames.
ignite /ɪɡˈnaɪt/ technical if a chemical or gas ignites, it starts burning:
The compound ignites at 450 degrees Celsius.
Scientists could not explain why the gas had suddenly ignited.
set fire to something (also set something on fire) to make something start burning so that it gets damaged:
Vandals set fire to an empty warehouse.
Teresa wondered if the burning log might set fire to the curtains.
The Vikings attacked villages along the coast and set them on fire.
Sparks from the fireplace could easily set the curtains on fire.
scorch to damage the surface of something by burning it so that a dark mark is left on it:
Having the iron on a very high heat can scorch the fabric.
The heater was left on all night and it scorched the wall.
singe /sɪndʒ/ to damage hair, wool, paper etc by burning it slightly so that the ends or edges are burnt:
The flames were hot enough to singe your eyebrows.
scald to burn your skin with very hot liquid or steam:
The coffee was so hot it nearly scalded his tongue.
It’s easy to knock a pan off the stove and scald yourself.
He was scalded by steam escaping from the broken pipe.
put out to make something such as a fire, cigarette, or candle stop burning:
It took firefighters four hours to put out the blaze.
She threw sand on the fire to put it out.
I put out my cigarette and went back into the house.
extinguish /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ formal to make something such as a fire, cigarette, or candle stop burning:
He managed to extinguish the flames with his coat.
Customers who smoke will be asked to extinguish their cigarettes or leave the premises.
blow out to make a flame or fire stop burning by blowing on it:
He blew out the candle and went to sleep.
The wind blew out the fire.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

shine to produce bright light:
The sun was shining.
flash to shine brightly for a very short time, or to shine on and off very quickly many times:
Lightning flashed across the sky.
The police car’s lights were flashing.
glare to shine with a very strong light which hurts your eyes:
The sun glared in her eyes.
flicker to shine with an unsteady light – used about a flame or light:
The candle flickered and went out.
twinkle if stars or lights twinkle, they shine in the dark in a way that seems to change from bright to faint, especially because you are a long way away from them:
stars twinkling in the sky
The harbour lights twinkled in the distance.
glow especially literary to shine with a warm soft light:
Lights glowed in the windows.
blaze literary to shine very brightly:
The lights of the factory were still blazing.
sparkle/glitter if something sparkles, it shines with many small bright points when light is on it:
The sea sparkled in the sunlight.
Jewels glittered around her neck.
gleam to shine by reflecting the light – used especially about smooth clean surfaces, or about someone’s eyes or teeth:
The sword’s blade gleamed.
a gleaming sports car
His blue eyes gleamed with amusement.
glint to shine with quick flashes of light:
The knife glinted in the sunlight.
glisten literary to shine – used about wet or oily surfaces. Used especially when saying that someone’s eyes are full of tears, or someone’s skin is covered in sweat:
As they were leaving, her eyes glistened with tears.
His forehead was glistening with sweat.
The wet chairs glistened in the afternoon sun.
catch the light if something catches the light, it shines because it is reflecting light:
Her diamond ring caught the light.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲