/ English Dictionary

FLASH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A lamp for providing momentary light to take a photograph

Synonyms:

flash; flash bulb; flash lamp; flashbulb; flashgun; photoflash

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

lamp (an artificial source of visible illumination)

photographic equipment (equipment used by a photographer)

Holonyms ("flash" is a part of...):

flash camera (a camera with a photoflash attachment)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A bright patch of color used for decoration or identification

Example:

a flash sewn on his sleeve indicated the unit he belonged to

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

patch (a piece of cloth used as decoration or to mend or cover a hole)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A momentary brightness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

brightness (the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white)

Derivation:

flash (emit a brief burst of light)

flash (gleam or glow intermittently)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A sudden brilliant understanding

Example:

he had a flash of intuition

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

brainstorm; brainwave; insight (the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A short news announcement concerning some on-going news story

Synonyms:

flash; news bulletin; newsbreak; newsflash

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

bulletin (a brief report (especially an official statement issued for immediate publication or broadcast))

Derivation:

flash (appear briefly)

flash (make known or cause to appear with great speed)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A burst of light used to communicate or illuminate

Synonyms:

flare; flash

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

visual signal (a signal that involves visual communication)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flash"):

star shell (an artillery shell containing an illuminant)

Bengal light (a steady bright blue light; formerly used as a signal but now a firework)

Very-light; Very light (a colored flare fired from a Very pistol)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A gaudy outward display

Synonyms:

fanfare; flash; ostentation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

display (exhibiting openly in public view)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flash"):

bluster; bravado (a swaggering show of courage)

exhibitionism (extravagant and conspicuous behavior intended to attract attention to yourself)

ritz (ostentatious display of elegance)

splurge (an ostentatious display (of effort or extravagance etc.))

pedantry (an ostentatious and inappropriate display of learning)

Derivation:

flash (tastelessly showy)

flashy ((used especially of clothes) marked by conspicuous display)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A short vivid experience

Example:

the flashings of pain were a warning

Synonyms:

flash; flashing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

experience (an event as apprehended)

Derivation:

flash (appear briefly)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A sudden intense burst of radiant energy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

happening; natural event; occurrence; occurrent (an event that happens)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flash"):

streak (a sudden flash (as of lightning))

lightning (the flash of light that accompanies an electric discharge in the atmosphere (or something resembling such a flash); can scintillate for a second or more)

heat flash (a flash of intense heat (as released by an atomic explosion))

coruscation; glitter; sparkle (the occurrence of a small flash or spark)

gleam; gleaming; glimmer (a flash of light (especially reflected light))

flicker; glint; spark (a momentary flash of light)

Derivation:

flash (emit a brief burst of light)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

Example:

if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash

Synonyms:

blink of an eye; flash; heartbeat; instant; jiffy; New York minute; split second; trice; twinkling; wink

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("flash" is a kind of...):

bit; minute; mo; moment; second (an indefinitely short time)

Derivation:

flash (expose or show briefly)

 II. (adjective) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Tastelessly showy

Example:

tawdry ornaments

Synonyms:

brassy; cheap; flash; flashy; garish; gaudy; gimcrack; loud; meretricious; tacky; tatty; tawdry; trashy

Classified under:

Adjectives

Similar:

tasteless (lacking aesthetic or social taste)

Derivation:

flash (a gaudy outward display)

 III. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Appear briefly

Example:

The headlines flashed on the screen

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

appear (come into sight or view)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

flashing; flash (a short vivid experience)

flash (a short news announcement concerning some on-going news story)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Emit a brief burst of light

Example:

A shooting star flashed and was gone

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

appear (come into sight or view)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

flash (a momentary brightness)

flash (a sudden intense burst of radiant energy)

flasher (a light that flashes on and off; used as a signal or to send messages)

flasher (an electrical device that automatically turns a lamp on and off (as for an advertising display))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make known or cause to appear with great speed

Example:

The latest intelligence is flashed to all command posts

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

convey ((of information) make known; pass on)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

flash (a short news announcement concerning some on-going news story)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Protect by covering with a thin sheet of metal

Example:

flash the roof

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Run or move very quickly or hastily

Example:

She dashed into the yard

Synonyms:

dart; dash; flash; scoot; scud; shoot

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

belt along; bucket along; cannonball along; hasten; hie; hotfoot; pelt along; race; rush; rush along; speed; step on it (move hurridly)

Verb group:

buck; charge; shoot; shoot down; tear (move quickly and violently)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flash"):

plunge (dash violently or with great speed or impetuosity)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Also:

flash back (return in time)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Expose or show briefly

Example:

he flashed a $100 bill

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

show (make visible or noticeable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

flash (a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat))

flasher (someone with a compulsive desire to expose the genitals)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously

Example:

he showed off his new sports car

Synonyms:

flash; flaunt; ostentate; show off; swank

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

display; exhibit; expose (to show, make visible or apparent)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flash"):

flex (exhibit the strength of)

splurge (be showy or ostentatious)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sense 8

Meaning:

Gleam or glow intermittently

Example:

The lights were flashing

Synonyms:

blink; flash; twinkle; wink; winkle

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Hypernyms (to "flash" is one way to...):

radiate (cause to be seen by emitting light as if in rays)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flash"):

flick; flicker (flash intermittently)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sentence examples:

Lights flash on the horizon

The horizon is flashing with lights

Derivation:

flash (a momentary brightness)

flasher (a light that flashes on and off; used as a signal or to send messages)

Credits

 Context examples: 

The smell of hot metal remained to assure us that the light was still there, ready to flash out at a moment’s notice.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Up and down went the long, shining blades, round and round they circled in curves of glimmering light, crossing, meeting, disengaging, with flash of sparks at every parry.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

What he sought was evidently not there, for again we saw the flash through another blind, and then through another.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

See an eye care professional right away if you have a sudden change in vision, if everything looks dim, or if you see flashes of light.

(Eye Diseases, NIH: National Eye Institute)

The perception of sudden or brief bursts (flashes) of light.

(Flasher, NCI Thesaurus)

And then suddenly, after a week of helpless suspense there came a flash of light.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A flash of odious joy appeared upon the woman’s face.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

But just then—crack! crack! crack!—three musket-shots flashed out of the thicket.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

A tool designed to measure the impact of hot flashes on overall quality of life as well as nine specific activities using a 10 point Likert scale.

(Hot Flash Related Daily Inference Scale, NCI Thesaurus)

Soy isoflavones are being studied in the prevention of cancer, hot flashes that occur with menopause, and osteoporosis (loss of bone density).

(Isoflavone, NCI Dictionary)

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