FLASH

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does flash mean? 

• FLASH (noun)
  The noun FLASH has 10 senses:

1. a sudden intense burst of radiant energy

2. a momentary brightness

3. a short vivid experience

4. a sudden brilliant understanding

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

6. a gaudy outward display

7. a burst of light used to communicate or illuminate

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

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

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

  Familiarity information: FLASH used as a noun is familiar.

• FLASH (adjective)
  The adjective FLASH has 1 sense:

1. tastelessly showy

  Familiarity information: FLASH used as an adjective is very rare.

• FLASH (verb)
  The verb FLASH has 8 senses:

1. gleam or glow intermittently

2. appear briefly

3. display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously

4. make known or cause to appear with great speed

5. run or move very quickly or hastily

6. expose or show briefly

7. protect by covering with a thin sheet of metal

8. emit a brief burst of light

  Familiarity information: FLASH used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLASH (noun)

Sense 1

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"):

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

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))

Derivation:

flash (emit a brief burst of light)

Sense 2

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 (gleam or glow intermittently)

flash (emit a brief burst of light)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A short vivid experience

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

flash; flashing

Context example:

the flashings of pain were a warning

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

experience (an event as apprehended)

Derivation:

flash (appear briefly)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A sudden brilliant understanding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

he had a flash of intuition

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

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

Sense 5

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Synonyms:

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

Context example:

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

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

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

Derivation:

flash (expose or show briefly)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A gaudy outward display

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

fanfare; flash; ostentation

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 7

Meaning:

A burst of light used to communicate or illuminate

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

flare; flash

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 8

Meaning:

A short news announcement concerning some on-going news story

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

flash; news bulletin; newsbreak; newsflash

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 9

Meaning:

A bright patch of color used for decoration or identification

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

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

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

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

Sense 10

Meaning:

A lamp for providing momentary light to take a photograph

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

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

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)

• FLASH (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Tastelessly showy

Synonyms:

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

Context example:

tawdry ornaments

Similar:

tasteless (lacking aesthetic or social taste)

Derivation:

flash (a gaudy outward display)

• FLASH (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Gleam or glow intermittently

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

blink; flash; twinkle; wink; winkle

Context example:

The lights were flashing

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)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Appear briefly

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The headlines flashed on the screen

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 3

Meaning:

Display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

flash; flaunt; ostentate; show off; swank

Context example:

he showed off his new sports car

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 4

Meaning:

Make known or cause to appear with great speed

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

The latest intelligence is flashed to all command posts

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 5

Meaning:

Run or move very quickly or hastily

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

dart; dash; flash; scoot; scud; shoot

Context example:

She dashed into the yard

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

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

he flashed a $100 bill

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:

Protect by covering with a thin sheet of metal

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

flash the roof

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

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

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 8

Meaning:

Emit a brief burst of light

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

A shooting star flashed and was gone

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))

 Context examples 

Not once did his eyes flash nor his cheeks flush, while the calmness and poise with which he talked surprised her.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

They flashed past us in a rolling cloud of dust, and I had just a glimpse of the pale, handsome face of the master, and of the dark, shrivelled features of the man.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It is being studied in the treatment of hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.

(Black cohosh, NCI Dictionary)

A synthetic hormone being studied for treatment of hot flashes in men with prostate cancer who have had both testicles removed by surgery.

(Cyproterone acetate, NCI Dictionary)

It may also be used to treat hot flashes in women who are in menopause or are being treated for breast cancer.

(Effexor, NCI Dictionary)

Instead, they measure flashes of blue light, known as Cherenkov radiation, produced by muons and other fast-moving charged particles created when neutrinos interact with the ice.

(Antarctic detector offers first look at how Earth stops high-energy neutrinos in their tracks, National Science Foundation)

Later, their memories were tested by flashing a word on the screen and asking the patient to state its paired word.

(Our brains may ripple before remembering, National Institutes of Health)

I saw the flash of the blade quite distinctly.

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

The sun stay longer in the sky, and there are sun- dogs flashing on either side, and the air is bright with frost-dust.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

And then, in a flash, the better solution came to me.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)