flicker

UK: /ˈflɪkə^r/ US: /ˈflɪkɚ/ ,(flik′ər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

flick•er¹ /ˈflɪkɚ/   v. [no object]

1. to burn unsteadily;
   shine with a wavering light:
   The candle flickered in the wind.
2. to flutter:
   Her eyelids flickered.
3. to appear quickly and briefly:
   A smile flickered on his face.

n. [countable]

4. an unsteady flame or light.
5. a flickering movement.
6. a brief appearance or feeling:
   saw a flicker of interest in her eyes.

flick•er² /ˈflɪkɚ/   n. [countable]

1. Birds a North American woodpecker having yellow or red underwings.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

flick•er¹  (flik′ər), v.i. 

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.

v.t. 

4. to cause to flicker.

n. 

5. an unsteady flame or light.
6. a flickering movement.
7. a brief occurrence or appearance:
   a flicker of hope.
8. Slang Terms Often, flickers. flick².
9. Ophthalmology the visual sensation of flickering that occurs when the interval between intermittent flashes of light is too long to permit fusion.

• bef. 1000; Middle English flikeren (verb, verbal) Old English flicorian to flutter; cognate with Dutch flikkeren

flick′er•ing•ly, adv. 
flick′er•y, adj. 
Synonyms

• 1. flare, flash, gleam, shimmer.

flick•er²  (flik′ər), n. 

1. Birds 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.

• said to be imitative of the bird's note 1800–10, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

flicker / ˈflɪkə/ verb

1. (intransitive) to shine with an unsteady or intermittent light
2. (intransitive) to move quickly to and fro; quiver, flutter, or vibrate
3. (transitive) to cause to flicker

noun

1. an unsteady or brief light or flame
2. a swift quivering or fluttering movement
3. the flickers ⇒ (plural)
   the US equivalent of flick22

Etymology: Old English flicorian; related to Dutch flikkeren, Old Norse flökra to flutter

flicker / 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

Etymology: 19th Century: perhaps imitative of the bird's call