as in darted
to make an irregular series of quick, sudden movements
a dragonfly flickering above the salt marsh
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flickered
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
By early Sunday afternoon, power was restored to parts of the Richmond District, drawing cheers from residents when lights flickered back on.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 22 Dec. 2025
The prospect of a white-knight music fan riding in to save the day seems to have flickered and faded.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025
Tall taper candles flickered between arrangements of deep burgundy flowers, the blooms cascading in trails that spilled over the table’s edge and down to the floor.
—Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Nov. 2025
Kavitha’s father’s eyes flickered from one to the other.
—Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025
Immediately, to the flight surgeon’s alarm, the signal from the astronaut to the ground flickered out.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 Nov. 2025
Smoke lay in the air and the light flickered, pyrotechnic machines going off.
—Sara Schiff, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
The lights inside Lynn Family Stadium flickered in celebration, as bells and cheers rang out.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flickered
Verb
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When Carrasco invited me into their backyard, which was lively with chickens and dogs, Ezra ran up, gave me a quick once-over, and then darted off to play on the swing set with his younger brother.—
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Cavland Hunter darted in from the 2 and also ran in the conversion.—
Verb
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On the 10-mile drive to the school, Gussick’s mind flitted to every possible scenario.—
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But Scales said her performance as Sybil was inspired by her visit as a child to a Devonshire hotel restaurant during World War II, where the hotel's proprietress flitted about while attending to her guests.—
Verb
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The president’s guests — which included top members of his administration, MAGA allies and big-time political donors — noshed on hors d’oeuvres and downed exotic cocktails while jazz music blared and burlesque dancers fluttered their fans.—
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Union Jack bunting fluttered overhead.—
Verb
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Instead of slamming it home, Antetokounmpo soared over the defenders to make an improbable catch, landed and flicked an on-target pass to Rollins for a corner 3 before falling out of bounds to give Milwaukee a 14-point lead.—
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After initially suspecting a bullet or debris flicked up by a truck, the police ruled out both.—
Verb
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For three months and 32 shows, the then-13-year-old prodigy danced alongside her mom throughout the three-hour concert.—
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Consider Virginia McLaurin, who joyfully danced with the Obamas at age 106 and later supported youth mentoring, or Edith Renfrow Smith, now 110, whose advocacy for education continues to inspire.—
Cite this Entry
“Flickered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flickered. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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