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flash

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verb

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as in to twinkle
to shine with light at regular intervals the disco lights flashed, and the revelers danced

Synonyms & Similar Words

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flash

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adjective

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb flash contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of flash are gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glitter, shimmer, and sparkle. While all these words mean "to send forth light," flash implies a sudden outburst of bright light.

lightning flashed

When is it sensible to use gleam instead of flash?

Although the words gleam and flash have much in common, gleam suggests a steady light seen through an obscuring medium or against a dark background.

lights gleamed in the valley

When could glimmer be used to replace flash?

The words glimmer and flash are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, glimmer suggests a faint or wavering gleam.

a distant glimmering light

Where would glint be a reasonable alternative to flash?

While in some cases nearly identical to flash, glint implies a cold glancing light.

glinting steel

When would glisten be a good substitute for flash?

While the synonyms glisten and flash are close in meaning, glisten applies to the soft sparkle from a wet or oily surface.

glistening wet sidewalk

In what contexts can glitter take the place of flash?

The synonyms glitter and flash are sometimes interchangeable, but glitter connotes a brilliant sparkling or gleaming.

glittering diamonds

When can shimmer be used instead of flash?

The words shimmer and flash can be used in similar contexts, but shimmer means shining with a wavering light.

a shimmering satin dress

When might sparkle be a better fit than flash?

The meanings of sparkle and flash largely overlap; however, sparkle suggests innumerable moving points of bright light.

the sparkling waters

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flash
Noun
This pushes our models to their limits and challenges our existing ideas about how these X-ray flashes are being generated. David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025 Seemingly out of nowhere Sol Campbell, one of their most experienced players and a bedrock of the defence, had an existential flash and walked straight off the pitch and out of the stadium at half-time of a home defeat against West Ham United. Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
The clip appeared to show emergency vehicles with flashing lights and full insignia as well as individuals with reflective gear approaching a vehicle lying on the side of the road before gunshots ring out for more than five minutes. John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Apr. 2025 The second case uncovered was the murder of Omar De Jesus Gutierrez, also 18, who detectives said was killed on Jan. 7, 2015, for flashing MS-13 gang signs. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Don’t let the lack of flash fool you — this guy is the real deal. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2025 The German figures come a day before the scheduled release of flash inflation data for the euro area, which will be closely watched by investors for guidance on the odds of another interest rate cut from the European Central Bank. Sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for flash
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flash
Noun
  • All in all, that was a good response by the Razorbacks to the Aggies' early flurry of runs.
    Matt Jones, Arkansas Online, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Grapevine has a flurry of talent including junior catcher Gianni Corral, an uncommitted recruit who was previously committed to Texas A&M. Outfielder Zachary Goldstein, also a junior, is a scrappy speedster with a knack for getting on base.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The transformed Hidden Jungle aviary bursts with hundreds of butterflies each spring, attracting butterfly enthusiasts from across the region.
    Ut Community Press, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
  • An 8-year-old Utah boy jumping on a trampoline miraculously survived after a strong wind burst sent him several feet into the air.
    David Chiu, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • What’s the statistic there, the average ER physician has to see a patient every three to four minutes?
    Adam B. Vary, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The defense's case to spare Mahdi's life before a judge lasted only about 30 minutes.
    CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Not ranked: Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets — Barring a miracle, they’re both done.
    Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Fortunately, this Switch 2 conversion played well, even better than the Witcher III's miracle port on the Switch 1.
    Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Elite football is very demanding, but anything that makes people enjoy it more and is more of a spectacle.
    Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
  • What makes The Day May Break photographic series so unforgettable is Brandt’s refusal to rely on spectacle.
    Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The historic fantasy of the Great White Way as a glamorous montage of gleaming marquees, sparky backstage romances, and elegant audiences reveling in black tie was a Hollywood concoction, arguably false from the start.
    Frank Rich, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Less than two weeks after Luis Enrique’s appointment, the first team took up residence at the club’s gleaming new training centre, the PSG Campus, in Poissy, 25 kilometres west of central Paris.
    Tom Williams, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Police allege Balmer broke into the southern wing of the residence, entering a room often used to entertain crowds and display art, and set a fire using a homemade incendiary device.
    Marc Levy, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
  • All were displayed in an austere room designed for examining art works—an oddly formal space for an encounter with one’s past.
    Bruce Handy, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Over his now decade-and-a-half-long career, fans of the alt-pop auteur—real name Mike Hadreas—have only seen his work grow in scale and power, evolving from twinkling piano bedroom ballads to ambitious blasts of sonic splendor that careen through the gray areas between genre.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2025
  • When the sun sets over the Sonoran Desert, the sky transforms into an awe-inspiring expanse of twinkling stars—an invitation to look up, dream big, and marvel at the infinite possibilities that lie beyond our world.
    Visit Tucson, AFAR Media, 20 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Flash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flash. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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