1. Gleam or glow intermittently
   "The lights were flashing";
   - blink, wink, twinkle, winkle [rare]
    
2. Appear briefly
   "The headlines flashed on the screen"
    
3. Emit a brief burst of light
   "A shooting star flashed and was gone"
    
4. Run or move very quickly or hastily
   "She flashed into the yard";
   - dart, dash, scoot [informal], scud, shoot, whip [informal]
    
5. Make known or cause to appear with great speed
   "The latest intelligence is flashed to all command posts"
    
6. Expose or show briefly
   "he flashed a $100 bill"
    
7. [informal] Display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously
   "he flashed his new sports car";
   - flaunt, show off, ostentate [archaic], swank [informal], flex [N. Amer, informal], showboat [N. Amer, informal], parade
    
8. Protect by covering with a thin sheet of metal
   "flash the roof"
    
9. [informal] Briefly expose one's naked body or genitals in public
   "The streaker flashed the audience before security caught him"

1. A sudden intense burst of radiant energy
   "A flash of lightning illuminated the night sky"
    
2. A momentary brightness
   "A flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky"
    
3. A lamp for providing momentary light to take a photograph
   "The photographer's flash lit up the dark room";
   - photoflash [rare], flash lamp, flashgun, flashbulb [archaic], flash bulb [archaic], flashlight
    
4. A short vivid experience
   "a flash of emotion swept over him";
   - flashing
    
5. A sudden brilliant understanding
   "he had a flash of intuition"
    
6. A very short time
   "if I had the chance, I'd do it in a flash"; "The lightning flash lasted only for an instant";
   - blink of an eye [informal], heartbeat, instant, jiffy [informal], split second, trice, twinkling [informal], wink [informal], New York minute [US, informal], jiff [informal]
    
7. A burst of light used to communicate or illuminate
   "The camera's flash momentarily lit up the dark room";
   - flare
    
8. A gaudy outward display
   "The celebrity's arrival was marked by great flash";
   - ostentation, fanfare
    
9. A bright patch of colour used for decoration or identification
   "red flashes adorned the aeroplane"; "a flash sewn on his sleeve indicated the unit he belonged to"
    
10. A short news announcement concerning some on-going news story
    "A news flash interrupted the regular programming";
    - news bulletin, newsflash, newsbreak

1. Tastelessly showy
   "a flash car";
   - brassy [informal], flashy, garish, gaudy, loud, meretricious, trashy

Derived forms: flasher, flashed, flashes, flashest, flashing

See also: tasteless

Type of: appear, barrel [informal], belt [informal], belt along [informal], bit, brainstorm, brainwave, brightness, bucket [informal], bucket along [informal], bulletin, convey, cover, display, exhibit, experience, expose, happening, hasten, hie [archaic], hotfoot, hurry, insight, lamp, minute, mo, moment, natural event, occurrence, occurrent, patch, pelt [informal], pelt along [informal], photographic equipment, race, radiate, rocket [informal], rush, rush along, second, show, speed, step on it [informal], travel rapidly, visual signal, whizz [informal], whizz along [informal], wing [informal], zip [informal], zoom, zoom along [informal]

Part of: flash camera

Encyclopedia: Flash, Richard