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# flicker

«flicker» in Mova's school dictionary: **to shine unsteadily, getting brighter and dimmer quickly…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (flicker, flickers, flickered, flickering); noun (a flicker, flickers)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To flicker is to shine unsteadily, getting brighter and dimmer quickly, like a candle flame. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#m1)

2) To flicker is also to move quickly and lightly, like eyelids or a shadow. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#m2)

3) A flicker is a quick unsteady light or movement, or a small sudden feeling, like a flicker of hope. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories flickering lights and candles create a spooky or cosy mood; a flicker of a smile shows a hidden feeling. In everyday life a flickering bulb may need changing. Phrases: «a flicker of hope», «flickering candle», «the lights flickered».

### examples

- The candle flickered in the draught. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x1)
- The lights flickered and went out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x2)
- A flicker of hope crossed her face. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x3)
- Shadows flickered on the walls of the cave. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x4)
- His eyelids flickered as he woke up. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x5)
- The TV screen flickered. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x6)
- There was a flicker of a smile on Dad's face. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x7)
- All at once in the distance a small light flickered. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/#x8)

### note

Regular verb: flickered, flickering. A flickering light can mean a loose wire or a bulb that is failing; tell an adult and don't touch it.

### In the corpora

- [It is like a moth flying across a distant lighthouse: you cannot see the moth, but the light flickers.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/space/26-exoplanets-and-the-search-for-life/2/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «flicker» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/flicker/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.