flash

adjective

1. tastelessly showy

- a flash car

- a flashy ring

Similar word(s): tasteless, brassy, cheap, flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, loud, meretricious, tacky, tatty, tawdry, trashy

noun

1. a sudden intense burst of radiant energy

Definition categories: event, happening, occurrence, occurrent

2. a momentary brightness

Definition categories: attribute, brightness

3. a short vivid experience

- a flash of emotion swept over him

- the flashings of pain were a warning

Similar word(s): flashing

Definition categories: event, experience

4. a sudden brilliant understanding

- he had a flash of intuition

Definition categories: thought, brainstorm, brainwave, insight

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

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

Similar word(s): heartbeat, instant, jiffy, trice, twinkling, wink

Definition categories: time, bit, minute, mo, moment, second

6. a gaudy outward display

Similar word(s): fanfare, ostentation

Definition categories: communication, display

7. a burst of light used to communicate or illuminate

Similar word(s): flare

Definition categories: communication

8. a short news announcement concerning some on-going news story

Similar word(s): newsbreak, newsflash

Definition categories: communication, bulletin

9. a bright patch of color used for decoration or identification

- red flashes adorned the airplane

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

Definition categories: man–made, patch

10. a lamp for providing momentary light to take a photograph

Similar word(s): flashbulb, flashgun, photoflash

Definition categories: man–made, lamp

verb

1. gleam or glow intermittently

- The lights were flashing

Similar word(s): blink, twinkle, wink, winkle

Definition categories: perception, radiate

2. appear briefly

- The headlines flashed on the screen

Definition categories: change, appear

3. display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously

Similar word(s): flaunt, ostentate, swank

Definition categories: perception, display, exhibit, expose

4. make known or cause to appear with great speed

- The latest intelligence is flashed to all command posts

Definition categories: communication, convey

5. run or move very quickly or hastily

Similar word(s): dart, dash, scoot, scud, shoot

Definition categories: motion, hasten, hie, hotfoot, race, rush, speed

6. expose or show briefly

- he flashed a $100 bill

Definition categories: perception, show

7. protect by covering with a thin sheet of metal

- flash the roof

Definition categories: contact, cover

8. emit a brief burst of light

- A shooting star flashed and was gone

Definition categories: change, appear