as in darted
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
a dragonfly flickering above the salt marsh
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Recent Examples of flickered
On Friday in Sacramento, the magic that carried Valley Christian from a 9-15 regular season to the brink of a state title flickered one last time before finally running out.
—
Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026
Its tongue flickered, sensing the currents of pandemonium, and then the forked tip touched my cheek.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Candlelight flickered against vibrant tanzanite, sky blue topaz and canary yellow diamonds on Tuesday night at Sunset Tower Hotel, where Pomellato gathered brand ambassadors and celebrity stylists to mark the reopening of its Beverly Hills flagship, unveiled in October.
—Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
Officers captured the scene using a drone, which showed the man balancing on the unicycle as flames flickered just feet from passing vehicles.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
In the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, electricity in Yerevan flickered for as little as an hour a day.
—Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The lights went low and flickered, while the lights and the heat in a media center nearby went out, according to the Associated Press.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Feb. 2026
In reality, whatever magic had briefly flickered tended to vanish just as quickly.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Streetlights flickered before large parts of the city were plunged into darkness, as a thick fog settled over the streets and temperatures plummeted to –5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).
—Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026
Its tongue flickered, sensing the currents of pandemonium, and then the forked tip touched my cheek.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
Candlelight flickered against vibrant tanzanite, sky blue topaz and canary yellow diamonds on Tuesday night at Sunset Tower Hotel, where Pomellato gathered brand ambassadors and celebrity stylists to mark the reopening of its Beverly Hills flagship, unveiled in October.
—Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 11 Feb. 2026
Officers captured the scene using a drone, which showed the man balancing on the unicycle as flames flickered just feet from passing vehicles.
—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 8 Feb. 2026
In the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, electricity in Yerevan flickered for as little as an hour a day.
—Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
The lights went low and flickered, while the lights and the heat in a media center nearby went out, according to the Associated Press.
—Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Feb. 2026
In reality, whatever magic had briefly flickered tended to vanish just as quickly.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Streetlights flickered before large parts of the city were plunged into darkness, as a thick fog settled over the streets and temperatures plummeted to –5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit).
—Kosta Gak, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flickered
Verb
-
Zumwinkle darted along the left wall, cut in along the goal line and flicked a shot behind goaltended Kayle Osborne that deflected off the crossbar and into the net to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead just past the midway point in the first period.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The Badgers outrebounded the Illini 37-36, and Blackwell darted into the lane to grab a key offensive rebound with 52 seconds to play.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
About 10 flies flitted about in a storage area next to a kitchen prep table.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Gigi Hadid has flitted from champagne blonde to espresso brunette and sultry burgundy hair throughout the years.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And there, for the fifth time, was Azzi Fudd as the colorful scraps of paper, shot from big cannons, fluttered down all around her.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
10 Mar. 2026
-
As his hair fluttered in the jet stream created by his flight path, three of his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates were left in his dust.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
David flicked, a 3-pointer swished, and the junior stretched his vocal cords to the cavernous audience at the Coliseum with an early dagger.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Samson Fellows shuffled in his slippers to a small space heater and flicked it on.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Partied with rock stars, danced and sang, and racked up cash in offshore accounts.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
-
For years, the foursome was inseparable, a creative and bold whirlwind of girlhood that sang, danced, and even filmed their way through their coming-of-age.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flickered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flickered. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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