flash

[ flash ]

/ flæʃ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR flash ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a brief, sudden burst of bright light: a flash of lightning.

a sudden, brief outburst or display of joy, wit, etc.

a very brief moment; instant: I'll be back in a flash.

Informal. flashlight(def 1).

superficial, meretricious, or vulgar showiness; ostentatious display.

Also called news flash. Journalism. a brief dispatch sent by a wire service, usually transmitting preliminary news of an important story or development. Compare bulletin(def 2).

Photography.

bright artificial light thrown briefly upon a subject during an exposure.
flash lamp.
flashbulb.
flashtube.

the sudden flame or intense heat produced by a bomb or other explosive device.

a sudden thought, insight, inspiration, or vision.

Slang. rush¹(def 26).

Metallurgy.

a ridge of metal left on a casting by a seam between parts of the mold.
a ridge formed at the edge of a forging or weld where excess metal has been squeezed out.

Poker. a hand containing all five suits in a game played with a five-suit pack.

a device, as a lock or sluice, for confining and releasing water to send a boat down a shallow stream.

the rush of water thus produced.

hot flash.

Obsolete. the cant or jargon of thieves, vagabonds, etc.

verb (used without object)

to break forth into sudden flame or light, especially transiently or intermittently: a buoy flashing in the distance.

to gleam.

to burst suddenly into view or perception: The answer flashed into his mind.

to move like a flash.

to speak or behave with sudden anger, outrage, or the like (often followed by out): to flash out at a stupid remark.

to break into sudden action.

Slang. to open one's clothes and expose the genitals suddenly, and usually briefly, in public.

Slang. to experience the intense effects of a narcotic or stimulant drug.

to dash or splash, as the sea or waves.

Archaic. to make a flash or sudden display.

verb (used with object)

to emit or send forth (fire or light) in sudden flashes.

to cause to flash, as powder by ignition or a sword by waving.

to send forth like a flash.

to communicate instantaneously, as by radio or telegraph.

to make an ostentatious display of: He's forever flashing a large roll of bills.

to display suddenly and briefly: She flashed her ID card at the guard.

to change (water) instantly into steam by pouring or directing onto a hot surface.

to increase the flow of water in (a river, channel, etc.).

Glassmaking and Ceramics.

to coat (plain glass or a glass or ceramic object) with a layer of colored, opalescent, or white glass.
to apply (such a layer).
to color or make (glass) opaque by reheating.

Building Trades. to protect from leakage with flashing.

Cards. to expose (a card) in the process of dealing.

Archaic. to dash or splash (water).

adjective

sudden and brief: a flash storm.

showy or ostentatious.

caused by or used as protection against flash: flash injuries; flash clothing.

counterfeit or sham.

belonging to or connected with thieves, vagabonds, etc., or their cant or jargon.

of or relating to followers of boxing, racing, etc.

Idioms for flash

flash in the pan,

a brief, intense effort that produces no really significant result.
a person who makes such an effort; one who enjoys short-lived success.

flash on, Slang.

to have a sudden thought, insight, or inspiration about.
to have a sudden, vivid memory or mental picture of: I just flashed on that day we spent at the lake.
to feel an instantaneous understanding and appreciation of.

Origin of flash

1350–1400; Middle English flasshen to sprinkle, splash, earlier flask(i)en; probably phonesthemic in orig.; compare similar expressive words with fl- and -sh

SYNONYMS FOR flash

1 flare, gleam, glare.

3 twinkling, wink.

18 scintillate. Flash, glance, glint, glitter mean to send forth a sudden gleam (or gleams) of bright light. To flash is to send forth light with a sudden, transient brilliancy: A shooting star flashed briefly. To glance is to emit a brilliant flash of light as a reflection from a smooth surface: Sunlight glanced from the glass windshield. Glint suggests a hard bright gleam of reflected light, as from something polished or burnished: Light glints from silver or from burnished copper. To glitter is to reflect intermittent flashes of light from a hard surface: Ice glitters in the moonlight.

40 flashy, gaudy, tawdry; pretentious, superficial.

42 false, fake.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR flash ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM flash

flash·ing·ly, adverb out·flash, verb (used with object)

Words nearby flash

flare-up, flareback, flares, flareup, flaring, flash, flash blindness, flash burn, flash card, flash drive, flash eliminator

British Dictionary definitions for flash in the pan

flash

/ (flæʃ) /

noun

a sudden short blaze of intense light or flame a flash of sunlight

a sudden occurrence or display, esp one suggestive of brilliance a flash of understanding

a very brief space of time over in a flash

an ostentatious display a flash of her diamonds

Also called: newsflash a short news announcement concerning a new event

Also called: patch mainly British an insignia or emblem worn on a uniform, vehicle, etc, to identify its military formation

a patch of bright colour on a dark background, such as light marking on an animal

a volatile mixture of inorganic salts used to produce a glaze on bricks or tiles

a sudden rush of water down a river or watercourse
a device, such as a sluice, for producing such a rush

photog informal short for flashlight (def. 2), flash photography

a ridge of thin metal or plastic formed on a moulded object by the extrusion of excess material between dies

Yorkshire and Lancashire dialect a pond, esp one produced as a consequence of subsidence

(modifier) involving, using, or produced by a flash of heat, light, etc flash blindness; flash distillation

flash in the pan a project, person, etc, that enjoys only short-lived success, notoriety, etc

adjective

informal ostentatious or vulgar

informal of or relating to gamblers and followers of boxing and racing

sham or counterfeit

informal relating to or characteristic of the criminal underworld

brief and rapid flash freezing

verb

to burst or cause to burst suddenly or intermittently into flame

to emit or reflect or cause to emit or reflect light suddenly or intermittently

(intr) to move very fast he flashed by on his bicycle

(intr) to come rapidly (into the mind or vision)

(intr; foll by out or up) to appear like a sudden light his anger really flashes out at times

to signal or communicate very fastto flash a message
to signal by use of a light, such as car headlights

(tr) informal to display ostentatiously to flash money around

(tr) informal to show suddenly and briefly

(intr) British slang to expose oneself indecently

(tr) to cover (a roof) with flashing

to send a sudden rush of water down (a river, etc), or to carry (a vessel) down by this method

(in the making of glass) to coat (glass) with a thin layer of glass of a different colour

(tr) to subject to a brief pulse of heat or radiation

(tr) to change (a liquid) to a gas by causing it to hit a hot surface

obsolete to splash or dash (water)

Word Origin for flash

C14 (in the sense: to rush, as of water): of unknown origin

Cultural definitions for flash in the pan

flash in the pan

Someone or something that promises great success but soon fails: “The rock group that was all the rage last year turned out to be just another flash in the pan.”

Idioms and Phrases with flash in the pan (1 of 2)

flash in the pan

An effort or person that promises great success but fails. For example, His second novel proved to be a flash in the pan, or We had high hopes for the new director, but she was a flash in the pan. This metaphoric term alludes to the 17th-century flintlock musket, which could be fired only when the flash of the priming powder in the lockpan ignited the charge in the bore. When it failed to ignite, there was only a flash in the pan and the gun did not shoot.

Idioms and Phrases with flash in the pan (2 of 2)

flash

In addition to the idiom beginning with flash

flash in the pan

also see:

in a flash
quick as a wink (flash)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

flash

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

adjective

Idioms for flash

Origin of flash

SYNONYMS FOR flash

OTHER WORDS FROM flash

Words nearby flash

British Dictionary definitions for flash in the pan

noun

adjective

verb

Word Origin for flash

Cultural definitions for flash in the pan

Idioms and Phrases with flash in the pan (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with flash in the pan (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

flash

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

adjective

Idioms for flash

Origin of flash

SYNONYMS FOR flash

OTHER WORDS FROM flash

Words nearby flash

Words related to flash in the pan

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for flash in the pan

noun

adjective

verb

Word Origin for flash

Cultural definitions for flash in the pan

Idioms and Phrases with flash in the pan (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with flash in the pan (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for flash in the pan