flicker

CEFRC1

/ˈflɪkə/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To shine or move unsteadily.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    A short moment.

Examples

  • After one last flicker, the candle went out.

  • Fires for luring fish at night flicker on the silhouette of an island.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To burn or shine unsteadily, or with a wavering light.

  2. To keep going on and off; to appear and disappear for short moments; to flutter.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. An unsteady flash of light.

More examples

In context

  • This fluorescent lamp is starting to flicker. We'll have to replace it.

  • the flicker of an old movie

  • the flicker of the dying candle

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The old candle started to blank in the dark, threatening to go out completely.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”).