Flash — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun adjective adverb /ˈflash/

Meaning & Definition of Flash

Flash (verb)

  1. to give off light suddenly or in quick bursts
  2. to glow or gleam especially with animation or passion
  3. to break forth in or like a sudden flame or flare

Flash (noun)

  1. a sudden burst of light
  2. a movement of a flag in signaling
  3. a sudden and often brilliant burst

Flash (adjective)

  1. flashy, showy
  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of flashy people or things
  3. of, relating to, or characteristic of persons considered social outcasts

Flash (adverb)

  1. by very brief exposure to an intense altering agent (such as heat or cold)

Flash (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity

    "a flash of last-minute trips to the grocery store before the onset of the big snowstorm"

    similar: burst, flare, flare-up, flicker, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst, spurt
    related: recrudescence, recurrence, renewal, binge, jag, spree, boost, increase, pickup, upswing, upturn, epidemic, eruption, explosion, paroxysm, deluge, flood, rush, spate, surge, volley, commotion, furor, uproar
    near: calm, doldrums, slump

  2. a sudden intense expression of strong feeling

    "a much-needed flash of humor during the otherwise boring lecture"

    similar: agony, blaze, burst, ebullition, eruption, explosion, fit, flare, flare-up, flush, gale, gush, gust, outburst, paroxysm, spasm, storm
    related: blowup, grouch, rage, tantrum, ecstasy, rapture, transport, delirium, firestorm, frenzy, furor

  3. a very small space of time

    "the shower will be over in a flash"

    similar: beat, eyeblink, heartbeat, instant, jiff, jiffy, minute, moment, nanosecond, New York minute, second, shake, split second, trice, twinkle, twinkling, wink
    related: microsecond, snatch, spurt
    near: eon, age, eternity, forever, infinity, lifetime

  4. something extraordinary or surprising

    "the new goalie for our hockey team was apparently quite a flash in his hometown"

    similar: caution, marvel, miracle, phenomenon, portent, prodigy, sensation, splendor, wonder
    related: curiosity, sight, spectacle, beauty, corker, crackerjack, dandy, jim-dandy, knockout, apparition, appearance

  5. excessive or unnecessary display

    "the expensive clothes, the luxury cars, and other apparent signs of success are all flash that belie the fact that the family is up to its ears in debt"

    similar: flamboyance, flashiness, garishness, gaudiness, glitz, ostentation, ostentatiousness, pretentiousness, showiness, swank
    related: pretense, éclat, extravaganza, mummery, pageant, parade, show, dazzle, fanfare, foofaraw, pageantry, pomp, razzle-dazzle, razzmatazz, spectacle, adornment, decoration, dressing, embellishment, garnishment, ornamentation, trimming, extravagance, fanciness, luxuriance, luxuriousness, magnificence, opulence, richness, sumptuousness, luridness, meretriciousness, tawdriness, vulgarity
    opposite: austerity, plainness, severity
    near: conservativeness, moderation, modesty, restraint, simplicity, understatement, elegance, gracefulness, tastefulness, minimalism

Flash (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to shoot forth bursts of light

    "the actress's diamond necklace flashed as she hurried on stage to accept the award"

    similar: coruscate, flame, glance, gleam, glimmer, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, luster, scintillate, shimmer, spangle, sparkle, twinkle, wink, winkle
    related: beam, radiate, shine, bedazzle, blind, daze, dazzle, blaze, burn, flare, glare, glow

  2. to present so as to invite notice or attention

    "flashed a wad of cash as he paid for his dinner"

    similar: display, disport, exhibit, expose, flaunt, lay out, parade, produce, show, show off, sport, strut, unveil
    related: brandish, flourish, wave, advertise, air, announce, blaze, broadcast, herald, placard, post, proclaim, publicize, sound, trumpet, divulge, talk (about), tell (of), bare, discover, reveal, uncloak, uncover, unmask
    near: camouflage, disguise, mask, conceal, cover, curtain, enshroud, hide, obscure, occlude, occult, shroud, veil

  3. to shine with light at regular intervals

    "the disco lights flashed, and the revelers danced"

    similar: blink, twinkle, wink
    related: coruscate, flare, flicker, glance, glimmer, glint, glisten, glister, glitter, scintillate, shimmer, spangle, spark, sparkle

  4. to make known openly or publicly

    "flashed the news of the royal birth around the world"

    similar: advertise, announce, annunciate, blare, blaze, blazon, broadcast, declare, enunciate, give out, herald, placard, post, proclaim, promulgate, publicize, publish, release, sound, trumpet, beat the drum (for or about), run with
    related: bark, call (off or out), cry, bill, billboard, bulletin, gazette (chiefly British), knell, ring, toll, blurb, feature, pitch, plug, promote, puff, disseminate, spread, disclose, divulge, introduce, kithe (chiefly Scottish), manifest, report, reveal, show, advise, apprise, hand down, inform, notify, communicate, impart, intimate
    near: conceal, hush (up), silence, suppress, withhold, recall, recant, retract, revoke

Flash (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. lasting only for a short time

    "flash floods in the local area"

    similar: brief, deciduous, ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting, fugacious, fugitive, impermanent, momentary, passing, short-lived, temporary, transient, transitory
    related: little, short, shortish, acting, interim, provisional, short-term
    opposite: ceaseless, dateless, deathless, endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, immortal, lasting, long-lived, permanent, perpetual, timeless, undying, unending
    near: lifelong, continuing, durable, persistent, imperishable, indefectible, indestructible

Related Entry: Rush (noun)

Rush is a different word from Flash. The synonyms below are for rush, not for flash.

  1. excited and often showy or disorderly speed

    "what's the reason for all this rush?"

    similar: haste, hastiness, hurry, hustle, precipitation, precipitousness
    related: bustle, flurry, flutter, scurry, scuttle, stir, whirl, beeline, dash, scramble, stampede, hotheadedness, impetuosity, impetuousness, impulsiveness, impulsivity, rashness, expedition, expeditiousness, fastness, fleetness, quickness, rapidity, rapidness, speed, speediness, swiftness, velocity, celerity, dispatch, promptitude, promptness
    opposite: deliberateness, deliberation
    near: dilatoriness, lateness, pokiness, procrastination, slowness, languor, leisureliness, lethargy, sluggishness, torpor, dormancy, inaction, inactivity, inertia, inertness, quiescence

  2. the act or action of setting upon with force or violence

    "the regiment recaptured the hill with a single rush"

    similar: aggression, assault, attack, attempt, blitz, blitzkrieg, charge, coup de main, descent, offense, offensive, onset, onslaught, raid, strike
    related: ambuscade, ambush, counteraggression, counterassault, counterattack, counteroffensive, counterstrike, sally, sortie, envelopment, flanking, breakthrough, foray, incursion, invasion, pillage, ravage, sack, air raid, bombardment, bombing, siege, storm, barrage, cannonade, fusillade, hail, salvo, volley, whammy
    near: defense, defensive, guard, shield, opposition, resistance, protection, security, shelter

  3. a pleasurably intense stimulation of the feelings

    "riding my motorcycle over these winding roads is always an adrenaline-pumping rush"

    similar: bang, boot, charge, exhilaration, frisson, jollies, kick, thrill, titillation, wallop
    related: arousal, buzz, electrification, high, intoxication, jolt, shock, surprise, delectation, delight, enjoyment, joy, lift, pleasure, amusement, diversion, entertainment, fun, treat

Related Entry: Flash back (to) (verb)

Flash back (to) is a different word from Flash. The synonyms below are for flash back (to), not for flash.

  1. to bring back to mind

    "the scent made me flash back to the days of my mother's home-cooked Sunday dinners"

    similar: hark back (to), harken back (to), hearken back (to), mind (chiefly dialect), recall, recollect, remember, reminisce (about), reproduce, think (of)
    related: recapture, recur, educe, elicit, evoke, extract, raise, remind, relive, represent
    opposite: disremember, forget, unlearn
    near: misremember, disregard, ignore, neglect, overlook, lose, miss, blank (out)

Related Entry: Flash point (noun)

Flash point is a different word from Flash. The synonyms below are for flash point, not for flash.

  1. a potentially explosive place or situation

    "that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points"

    similar: powder keg, time bomb, tinderbox, volcano
    related: hot button, third rail

  2. a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action

    "tensions between the two longtime adversaries were at a flash point"

    similar: boiling point, breaking point, clutch, conjuncture, crisis, crossroad(s), crunch, crunch time, Dunkirk, emergency, exigency, extremity, head, juncture, tinderbox, zero hour, moment of truth, point of no return
    related: contingency, possibility, climax, turning point, happening, landmark, milestone, condition, pass, situation, strait, deadlock, impasse, stalemate, corner, fix, hole, hot water, jam, last ditch, pinch, predicament, scrape, spot, eleventh hour, last minute

Related Entry: Flash points (noun)

Flash points is a different word from Flash. The synonyms below are for flash points, not for flash.

  1. a potentially explosive place or situation

    "that troubled region remains one of the world's most dangerous flash points"

    similar: powder kegs, time bombs, tinderboxes, volcanoes
    related: hot buttons, third rails

  2. a time or state of affairs requiring prompt or decisive action

    "tensions between the two longtime adversaries were at a flash point"

    similar: boiling points, breaking points, clutches, conjunctures, crises, crossroads, crunches, crunch times, Dunkirks, emergencies, exigencies, extremities, heads, junctures, tinderboxes, zero hours, moments of truth, points of no return
    related: contingencies, possibilities, climaxes, turning points, happenings, landmarks, milestones, conditions, passes, situations, straits, deadlocks, impasses, stalemates, corners, fixes, holes, hot waters, jams, last ditches, pinches, predicaments, scrapes, spots, eleventh hours, last minutes

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Flash

The most common words with a similar meaning to Flash:

burst, flare, flare-up, flicker, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst, spurt, agony, blaze, ebullition, eruption, explosion, fit, flush, gale, gush, gust, paroxysm, spasm, storm, beat, eyeblink, heartbeat, instant, jiff, jiffy, minute, moment, nanosecond, New York minute, second, shake, split second, trice, twinkle, twinkling, wink, caution

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Flash

Words with the opposite meaning of Flash:

austerity, plainness, severity, ceaseless, dateless, deathless, endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, immortal, lasting, long-lived, permanent, perpetual, timeless, undying, unending

Related Words for Flash

recrudescence, recurrence, renewal, binge, jag, spree, boost, increase, pickup, upswing, upturn, epidemic, deluge, flood, rush, spate, surge, volley, commotion, furor, uproar, blowup, grouch, rage, tantrum, ecstasy, rapture, transport, delirium, firestorm

Near Antonyms of Flash

calm, doldrums, slump, eon, age, eternity, forever, infinity, lifetime, conservativeness, moderation, modesty, restraint, simplicity, understatement, elegance, gracefulness, tastefulness, minimalism, camouflage, disguise, mask, conceal, cover, curtain, enshroud, hide, obscure, occlude, occult

Word Forms of Flash

Inflections: flashed, flashing, flashes

Origin & Etymology of Flash

Middle English flaschen, of imitative origin

First known use: 13th centuryi

Words & Phrases Containing Flash

flash back, flash-bang, flash card, flash drive

Frequently Asked Questions about Flash

What does "Flash" mean?

"Flash" means to give off light suddenly or in quick bursts. As an a verb, a noun, an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: to give off light suddenly or in quick bursts. It has 10 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Flash"?

Other words for "Flash" include burst, flare, flare-up, flicker, flurry, flutter, outbreak and outburst. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Flash" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Flash"?

There are 258 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Flash". Common alternatives include burst, flare, flare-up, flicker, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst, spurt and agony.

What is the opposite of "Flash"?

Antonyms of "Flash" include austerity, plainness, severity, ceaseless, dateless, deathless, endless and enduring. Near antonyms include calm, doldrums, slump and eon.

How do you use "Flash" in a sentence?

Examples of "Flash" in a sentence: "a flash of last-minute trips to the grocery store before the onset of the big snowstorm"; "a much-needed flash of humor during the otherwise boring lecture"; "the shower will be over in a flash".

Is "Flash" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Flash" can be used as a verb, a noun, an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Flash"?

"Flash" is pronounced /ˈflash/.

What is the origin of the word "Flash"?

"Flash" comes from Middle English flaschen, of imitative origin. First known use: 13th centuryi.