flash Meaning & Definition
What Does Flash Mean?
Flash is used as a verb meaning To cause to shine briefly or intermittently. It is also used to mean To blink; to shine or illuminate intermittently. As a noun, it means A sudden, short, temporary burst of light. As an adjective, it means Expensive-looking and demanding attention; stylish; showy.
Quick Facts About Flash
| Part of speech | verb, noun, adjective |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //flæʃ// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | garish, tawdry and glint |
| Antonyms | aeon |
| Plural | flashes |
| Comparative / superlative | more flash, most flash |
| Verb forms | flashes, flashing, flashed |
Flash Definition (Verb)
- To cause to shine briefly or intermittently.
He flashed the light at the water, trying to see what made the noise.
- To blink; to shine or illuminate intermittently.
The light flashed on and off.
- To be visible briefly.
The scenery flashed by quickly.
- To make visible briefly.
A number will be flashed on the screen.
- To expose one's intimate body part or undergarment, often momentarily and unintentionally.
She flashed a vocalist at a rock concert.
- To break forth like a sudden flood of light; to show a momentary brilliance.
- To flaunt; to display in a showy manner.
He flashed a wad of hundred-dollar bills.
- To show a gang sign or similar hand gesture.
I knew he was serious when he flashed a Bloods sign.
- To communicate quickly.
The news services flashed the news about the end of the war to all corners of the globe.
- To move, or cause to move, suddenly.
Flash forward to the present day.
- To telephone a person, only allowing the phone to ring once, in order to request a call back.
Susan flashed Jessica, and then Jessica called her back, because Susan didn't have enough credit on her phone to make the call.
- To evaporate suddenly.
- To climb (a route) successfully on the first attempt.
- To write to the memory of (an updatable component such as a BIOS chip or games cartridge).
In order to flash a custom ROM to a phone, the boot loader must be unlocked first.
- To cover with a thin layer, as objects of glass with glass of a different colour.
- To expand (blown glass) into a disc.
- To send by some startling or sudden means.
- To burst out into violence.
- To perform a flash.
- To release the pressure from a pressurized vessel.
- To trick up in a showy manner.
- To strike and throw up large bodies of water from the surface; to splash.
- To flash back.
Flash as a Noun
- A sudden, short, temporary burst of light.
- A very short amount of time.
- A flashlight; an electric torch.
- A sudden and brilliant burst, as of genius or wit.
- Pizzazz, razzle-dazzle.
- Material left around the edge of a moulded part at the parting line of the mould.
- The strips of bright cloth or buttons worn around the collars of market traders.
- A pattern where each prop is thrown and caught only once.
- A language, created by a minority to maintain cultural identity, that cannot be understood by the ruling class.
- Clipping of camera flash (“a device used to produce a flash of artificial light to help illuminate a scene”).
- A preparation of capsicum, burnt sugar, etc., for colouring liquor to make it look stronger.
- A form of military insignia.
I just got my first commando flash.
- Clipping of flash memory.
The hybrid drive has 500 gigabytes of hard disk space for bulk storage and 2 gigabytes of high-speed flash for caching frequently-accessed files.
- Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genera Artipe, Deudorix and Rapala.
- A tattoo flash (example design on paper to give an idea of a possible tattoo).
- The sudden sensation of being "high" after taking a recreational drug.
- Synonym of flashback (“recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug”).
- A newsflash.
- A brief exposure or making visible (of a smile, badge, etc).
- The (intentional or unintentional) exposure of an intimate body part or undergarment in public.
panty flash
- Ellipsis of hook flash.
Flash as an Adjective
- Expensive-looking and demanding attention; stylish; showy.
- Having plenty of ready money.
- Liable to show off expensive possessions or money.
- Occurring very rapidly, almost instantaneously.
- Relating to thieves and vagabonds.
the flash language: thieves' cant or slang
Noun
- A pool of water, in some areas especially one that is marshy, and/or one formed by subsidence of the ground due to mining.
- A reservoir and sluiceway beside a navigable stream, just above a shoal, so that the stream may pour in water as boats pass, and thus bear them over the shoal.
Noun
- A device that produces a short flash of light to help illuminate a scene, mostly for night-time or indoors photography.
Noun
- (Cockney) The strips of bright cloth or buttons worn around the collars of market traders.
- A tattoo flash.
Verb
- To briefly, and often unintentionally, expose one's naked body or underwear, or part of it, in public. (Contrast streak.)
Her skirt was so short that she flashed her underpants as she was getting out of her car.
- To show or expose an "inappropriate" part of the body to someone for humorous reasons or as an act of contempt.
- (of liquid) To evaporate suddenly. (See flash evaporation.)
- (glassmaking) To cover with a thin layer, as objects of glass with glass of a different colour.
- (glassmaking) To expand (blown glass) into a disc.
Adjective
- (of a person) Having plenty of ready money.
- (of a person) Liable to show off expensive possessions or money.
Noun
- A pool.
Synonyms of Flash
Antonyms of Flash
Flash in a Sentence
He flashed the light at the water, trying to see what made the noise.
The light flashed on and off.
The scenery flashed by quickly.
A number will be flashed on the screen.
The special agents flashed their badges as they entered the building.
She flashed me a smile from the car window.
She flashed a vocalist at a rock concert.
Her skirt was so short that she flashed her underpants as she was getting out of her car.
He flashed a wad of hundred-dollar bills.
I knew he was serious when he flashed a Bloods sign.
The news services flashed the news about the end of the war to all corners of the globe.
to flash a message along the telephone wires; to flash conviction on the mind
Flash forward to the present day.
Susan flashed Jessica, and then Jessica called her back, because Susan didn't have enough credit on her phone to make the call.
In order to flash a custom ROM to a phone, the boot loader must be unlocked first.
I just got my first commando flash.
The hybrid drive has 500 gigabytes of hard disk space for bulk storage and 2 gigabytes of high-speed flash for caching frequently-accessed files.
panty flash
the flash language: thieves' cant or slang
flash notes: counterfeit banknotes
Word Forms & Grammar
flash (third-person singular simple present flashes, present participle flashing, simple past and past participle flashed)
flash (countable and uncountable, plural flashes)
flash (comparative more flash, superlative most flash)
flash (plural flashes)
Words That Rhyme With Flash
Origin of Flash
Origin 1: In 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”).
Origin 2: 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".[1] 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.
Pronouncing Flash
You say flash as //flæʃ//. It has 1 syllable.
Frequently Asked Questions About Flash
Is flash a verb or a noun?
Flash is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun and an adjective.
What is another word for flash?
Close synonyms of flash are garish, tawdry and glint. See the full list of flash synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of flash?
The opposite of flash is aeon.
What is the plural of flash?
The plural of flash is flashes.
What is the past tense of flash?
The past tense of flash is flashed. The present participle is flashing.