flash
gb/flˈæʃ/ us/flˈæʃ/
A2
English
~ 1200
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
shine briefly and suddenly
To give off a short, bright light.
Usage pattern:
to flash [light]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'flash' with 'shine'; 'shine' usually means to give light continuously, not briefly.
Synonyms
blink (Often refers to lights turning on and off quickly, sometimes repeatedly.)
Antonyms
glow (Describes a steady light rather than a brief burst.)
Collocations
flash light
|flash brightly
|flash suddenly
|camera flash
Themes
vision
|technology
|daily life
|science
Examples
- Lightning flashed across the sky.
- The warning light flashed red.
- Cameras flashed as the celebrity walked in.
- The beacon flashed twice before going dark.
Learner examples
- The light flashed in the dark.
- The phone screen flashed when I got a message.
- A camera flashed at the wedding.
- The sign flashed every few seconds.
Noun
A2
event
2
brief burst of light
A quick, bright light that lasts for a very short time.
Synonyms
glint (A small flash of reflected light, often from metal or glass.)
Antonyms
darkness (The absence of light.)
Collocations
a flash of lightning
|camera flash
|in a flash
Themes
vision
|photography
|science
|technology
Examples
- There was a flash of lightning before the thunder.
- The photographer adjusted the flash on his camera.
- A bright flash lit up the room.
Learner examples
- I saw a flash in the sky.
- The camera made a flash when it took the photo.
- There was a flash from the torch.
Verb
B1
action
3
show quickly and briefly
To show something for only a short time.
Usage pattern:
to flash [something] [at someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'flash' with 'wave'; 'wave' usually means moving something back and forth rather than just showing it briefly.
Synonyms
display briefly (A neutral phrase meaning to show for a short time.)
Antonyms
conceal (To keep something hidden instead of showing it.)
Collocations
flash a smile
|flash an ID card
|flash headlines
Themes
communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She flashed her ID at the guard.
- He flashed a smile at his friend.
- The news channel flashed breaking news on the screen.
Learner examples
- He flashed his ticket to the driver.
- She flashed a big smile at me.
- The card was flashed to the worker.
Noun
B1
quantity
4
very short moment
A very short time, like an instant.
Synonyms
instant (A moment without any delay.)
Antonyms
eternity (An extremely long or seemingly endless period of time.)
Collocations
in a flash
|gone in a flash
Themes
time
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It was over in a flash.
- She disappeared in a flash.
- The memory came back to him in a flash.
Learner examples
- It was done in a flash.
- She left in a flash.
- I remembered it in a flash.
Verb
slang
B2
action
5
expose body parts briefly in public
To quickly show private parts of your body in public.
Usage pattern:
to flash [someone]
Synonyms
expose oneself (A more formal/legal term used especially in law enforcement contexts.)
Antonyms
cover up (To keep one's body parts hidden from view.)
Collocations
flash someone
Themes
social behaviour
|law
|body
Examples
- He was arrested for flashing people in the park.
- Someone flashed the crowd during the concert.
- She accused him of flashing her on the train.
Learner examples
- He flashed people in the street.
- The man was caught flashing in the park.
- She said he flashed her on the bus.
Grammar
Dictionary form
flash
IPA
GB/flˈæʃ/
US/flˈæʃ/
Syllables & stress
flash (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (flash)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: flash
- Plural: flash, flashes
Verb
- Base: flash
- 3rd Person Singular: flashes
- Present Participle: flashing
- Past: flashed
Word family
Forms
flashes
noun
flashing
verb
flashed
verb
Related words
flashy
adjective
flashlight
noun
flashcard
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unflashy
adjective
Advanced or less common
flashback
noun B2
Expressions
flash back (to)
1/flˈæʃ bˈæk tə/
phrasal verb
recall past events suddenly and vividly
To suddenly remember something from the past very clearly.
Examples
- The smell of cookies flashed me back to my childhood.
- He flashed back to his days in the army.
flash forward (to)
1/flˈæʃ fˈɔɹwɚd tə/
phrasal verb
technical
depict future events out of sequence (storytelling)
To show or think about something that will happen later in time, often used in films or books.
Examples
- The movie flashes forward to ten years later.
- The story flashes forward to when they meet again.
flash through someone's mind
1/flˈæʃ θɹˈu sˈʌmwˌʌnz mˈaɪnd/
fixed phrase
occur suddenly as a thought or idea
To suddenly think of something for a short moment.
Examples
- An idea flashed through my mind while she was talking.
- Many memories flashed through his mind during the speech.
in a flash
1/ˈɪn ə flˈæʃ/
idiom
very quickly or suddenly
Very quickly; in a very short time.
Examples
- She was out the door in a flash.
- In a flash, he understood what she meant.