flash
A sudden, short, temporary burst of lightA sudden, short, temporary burst of light.
» I saw a flash of lightning.
Meaning
20 senses(countable, uncountable)A sudden, short, temporary burst of light.
Blitz
вспы́шкаvspýška, сверка́ниеsverkánije
спа́лахspálax, зблискzblysk, спо́лохspólox
a burst of light used to communicate or illuminate
(countable, uncountable)A very short amount of time.
Nu, Blitzeseile
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
(US, colloquial, countable, uncountable)A flashlight; an electric torch.
(countable, figuratively, uncountable)A sudden and brilliant burst, as of genius or wit.
Einfall, Ausbruch
a sudden brilliant understanding
(figuratively, uncountable)Pizzazz, razzle-dazzle.
(countable, uncountable)Material left around the edge of a moulded part at the parting line of the mould.
Grat
(Cockney, UK, countable, uncountable)The strips of bright cloth or buttons worn around the collars of market traders.
(countable, uncountable)A pattern where each prop is thrown and caught only once.
(countable, uncountable)A language, created by a minority to maintain cultural identity, that cannot be understood by the ruling class.
(countable, uncountable)A form of military insignia.
I just got my first commando flash.
(countable, uncountable)Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genera Artipe, Deudorix and Rapala.
(countable, uncountable)A tattoo flash (example design on paper to give an idea of a possible tattoo).
Examples
243 sentencesI saw a flash of lightning.
I saw a flash of lightning far in the distance.
Did you see that flash of lightning?
ruВы видели, как блеснула молния? — sharptoothed
Here's a news flash.
Did you flash your lights?
deHast du die Lichthupe betätigt? — Luiaard
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 4
Origin
In some senses, from Middle English flasshen, a variant of flasken, flaskien (“to sprinkleIn some senses, from Middle English flasshen, a variant of flasken, flaskien (“to sprinkle, splash”), which was likely of imitative origin; in other senses probably of North Germanic origin akin to Swedish dialectal flasa (“to burn brightly, blaze”), related to flare. Compare also Icelandic flasa (“to rush, go hastily”).
From Middle English flashe, flaske, also found as flosche and flushe (whence modern English flosh and flush), used in Middle and modern English for bodies of water with varying emphasis on them being "pools" or "marshes". It is not entirely clear whether these constitute a single term with varied spellings, or have distinct etymologies. The form flash, flashe is often suggested to be from Old French flache, French flaque, which is of Germanic origin, akin to Middle Dutch vlacke (“an estuary, flats with stagnant pools”). See flush for more on that form.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: flashesSynonyms
52 synonyms- a lamp for providing momentary light to take a photograph:photoflashflash lampflashgunflashbulbflash bulb
- a short vivid experience:flashing
- a burst of light used to communicate or illuminate:flare
- a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat):blink of an eyeheartbeatinstantjiffysplit secondtricetwinklingwink
- a short news announcement concerning some on-going news story:news bulletinnewsflashnewsbreak
- a gaudy outward display:ostentationfanfare
Antonyms
24 antonymsWord family
96 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable