# flash

Pronunciation: say "FLASH" /flæʃ/

## Noun

1. A sudden, short burst of light that appears and disappears quickly.
   - Simple: A quick, bright burst of light that does not last long.
   - _A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the dark field._
   - _The explosion produced a blinding flash that startled everyone nearby._
4. Short for camera flash: a device that makes a quick, bright burst of light for taking photos. — Clipping of camera flash (“a device used to produce a flash of artificial light to help illuminate a scene”).
   - Simple: Short for camera flash. It is the part of a camera that makes a quick, bright light for photos.
   - _He mounted an external flash for the indoor shoot._
   - _The camera's built-in flash drained the battery quickly._
5. Short for flash memory: computer memory that keeps data without power and can be erased and written to again. — Clipping of flash memory.
   - Simple: Short for flash memory. It stores computer data even when the power is off.
   - _Modern drives rely on flash to read and write data quickly._
   - _The device keeps its firmware in flash rather than on a spinning disk._
7. An extremely brief moment of time.
   - Simple: A very quick moment, almost no time at all.
   - _The deer vanished into the trees in a flash._
   - _He changed his mind in a flash when he saw the price._
9. A brief showing or revealing of something, such as a smile or a badge.
   - Simple: A quick showing of something for just a moment, like a smile or a badge.
   - _He gave a flash of his ID before stepping into the building._
   - _The guard waved her through after a quick flash of her pass._
11. A sudden, brilliant burst of something such as genius or wit.
   - Simple: A sudden burst of a clever idea, wit, or feeling.
   - _In a flash of insight, she saw how to solve the puzzle._
   - _The detective's flash of intuition cracked the case open._
14. Showy brilliance or exciting style that draws attention.
   - Simple: A showy, exciting style that grabs people's attention.
   - _The act delivered plenty of flash, dazzling the crowd with lights and motion._
   - _Critics praised the film's flash while noting its thin plot._
19. A brief public exposure of an intimate body part or item of underwear, whether on purpose or by accident.
   - Simple: A quick showing of a private body part or underwear in public.
   - _The singer's costume slipped, and the brief flash made headlines the next morning._
   - _A bystander caught the accidental flash of underwear on her phone._
22. The sudden, intense sensation of becoming high immediately after taking a recreational drug.
   - Simple: The sudden rush of feeling high right after taking a drug.
   - _Counselors explain that the intense flash right after injecting lasts only seconds, which is why many users take more and more._
   - _She told the support group that she had spent years chasing the flash she felt the very first time._
17. A particular type of military insignia, worn as a badge or emblem on a uniform.
   - Simple: A kind of badge that people in the military wear on their uniforms.
   - _He passed the course in March and proudly sewed the commando flash onto his jacket._
   - _During inspection, the sergeant major spotted a flash stitched on crooked and sent the private back to fix it._

## Verb

2. To shine or light up suddenly, briefly, or repeatedly, or to make a light do this.
   - Simple: To shine for a moment or on and off, or to make a light do that.
   - _Emergency beacons flash to warn approaching ships._
   - _The cursor flashed steadily on the empty screen._
6. To show or reveal something for a brief moment.
   - Simple: To show something for a very short time.
   - _Protesters flash their signs whenever the cameras turn toward them._
   - _She flashed her employee card and walked through the gate._
8. To appear, or come suddenly into the mind, for only a brief moment.
   - Simple: To appear or come into your mind suddenly, for just a moment.
   - _Inspiration flashed through her mind as she stared at the blank canvas._
   - _Answers sometimes flash into your head just as the bell rings._
10. To write new data or firmware to the memory of an updatable component, such as a BIOS chip or game cartridge.
   - Simple: To put new software onto a chip inside a device.
   - _You can flash the BIOS to fix the compatibility bug._
   - _She flashed the cartridge with a custom ROM._
12. To return suddenly in memory to an earlier event or scene.
   - Simple: To suddenly think back to an earlier time or memory.
   - _He flashed back to his first day at school as he walked the halls._
   - _Survivors often flash back to the disaster without warning._
13. To move suddenly and swiftly, or to cause something to do so.
   - Simple: To move, or make something move, very suddenly and fast.
   - _On race day, the cars flash by the grandstand at over two hundred miles an hour._
   - _A figure flashed past the doorway before anyone could react._
15. To display something in a showy, attention-seeking way; to flaunt.
   - Simple: To show off something in a proud or showy way.
   - _He flashed a thick roll of bills to impress the table._
   - _Players who flash their trophies often annoy their teammates._
18. To briefly expose an intimate body part or item of underwear, often momentarily and without meaning to. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To quickly show a private part of your body or your underwear, often by accident.
   - _A gust of wind nearly made her flash the whole street._
   - _He flashed the audience as a joke and was escorted out._
21. To send a message, signal, or image rapidly.
   - Simple: To send news or a message very quickly.
   - _Operators flash urgent bulletins down the line the moment news breaks._
   - _The lighthouse flashed a coded message to the harbor._

## Adjective

3. Sudden and brief, or happening very quickly, used before a noun as in flash flood or flash sale.
   - Simple: Happening suddenly and lasting only a short time.
   - _Retailers love a flash sale that opens and closes within minutes._
   - _Heavy rain caused a flash flood that swept away two cars._
16. Showy and expensive-looking, or given to flaunting money and possessions. *(slang, Australia, British, New Zealand)*
   - Simple: Showy and costly-looking, or showing off money.
   - _The club was full of flash cars and designer suits._
   - _That watch is a bit too flash for a job interview._

## Noun

20. A brief report of urgent, breaking news. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A quick, important piece of breaking news.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A handheld electric light; a flashlight.
- (noun) Ready-drawn tattoo designs displayed on paper or walls to show customers possible options.
- (verb) In climbing, to succeed on a route at one's very first attempt.
- (verb) To erupt suddenly into violent behavior.
- (adjective) Having plenty of ready money available to spend.
- (noun) Leftover material along the edge of a molded part, found at the parting line, where the pieces of the mold come together.
- (verb) To call someone's phone and hang up after one ring, as a signal for them to call back.
- (verb) Of a liquid, to turn suddenly into vapor, as when its pressure drops sharply.
- (verb) To coat glass with a thin film of glass in another color.
- (verb) To spin a gather of blown glass out into a flat round sheet.
- (verb) In juggling, to throw every prop up once and catch each one before any is thrown again.
- (verb) To vent a sealed, high-pressure container so its pressure falls.
- (verb) To dress something up so that it looks flashy.
- (verb) To dash against water so that it sprays up in big splashes.
- (noun) Bands of brightly colored fabric or rows of buttons decorating a street seller's collar.
- (noun) In juggling, a sequence in which every object gets tossed up and caught a single time.
- (noun) A private cant developed by a marginal group to protect its identity, kept unintelligible to those in power.
- (noun) A mixture of red pepper, caramel and similar ingredients added to liquor to darken it so it seems more potent.
- (noun) A small butterfly of the gossamer-winged family, belonging to Rapala, Deudorix or Artipe.
- (noun) A return of a hallucinogen's effects long after the drug was taken.
- (noun) A quick press and release of a phone's hook switch, used to signal the exchange, as for call waiting.
- (adjective) Belonging to or typical of the criminal underworld of thieves and tramps.
- (noun) A pond or marshy pool, often one that forms where land has sunk over old mine workings.
- (noun) A basin with a sluice next to a river above a shallow stretch, opened to release extra water so boats can float over the shallows.

## Origin

Some senses come from flasshen, a Middle English variant of flasken ("to sprinkle, splash") that was likely imitative. Other senses probably have a North Germanic origin, akin to flasa ("to burn brightly, blaze") in Swedish dialects, as well as related to flare. Icelandic flasa ("to rush") may also be compared.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/flash (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).