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
Uneasy laughter flickered about the ballroom.
—
Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The lights flickered on screen, and then my room went dark.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
This world flickered into view between 1933 and 1943, a decade when the US government treated art as a public resource rather than a private luxury.
—John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Delicate little needles in the windows that flickered up and then sifted back down.
—Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The dots flickered and subsided, only to reappear again in greater numbers and with growing intensity.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
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
Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The lights flickered on screen, and then my room went dark.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
This world flickered into view between 1933 and 1943, a decade when the US government treated art as a public resource rather than a private luxury.
—John P. Murphy, ARTnews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
Delicate little needles in the windows that flickered up and then sifted back down.
—Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
The dots flickered and subsided, only to reappear again in greater numbers and with growing intensity.
—New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flickered
Verb
-
Penguins darted beneath us, marine iguanas grazed on algae, and sea lions twirled playfully in the water.—
David Morris,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Smaller birds darted around, their small wings flapping rapidly.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
These words are fascinating to consider in relation to Soderbergh, who has flitted among genres and subjects with a facility that is easily mistaken for dilettantism, or even ventriloquism.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Villaraigosa flitted around the racers’ VIP tent, spotted a bowl of fortune cookies and made a beeline.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Stars forward Arttu Hyry had what appeared to be a wide-open look at a tying goal in the slot, but misfired as the puck fluttered over the net.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
As Ember brushed past to turn on the lamp, one of the sheets came unstuck and fluttered out into the hallway, caught in her slight draft.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Down 2-1 in the 11th minute of stoppage time, Pinnock’s pass was flicked on by Sowunmi at the near-post and nodded down by striker Marcus Dinanga for 18-year-old George Evans to score.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Earlier, Freiburg took the lead when Maximilian Eggestein flicked Matthias Ginter’s header past the goalkeeper at a corner in the 28th minute.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The in-game festivities encouraged the crowd to cheer for Minnesota as fans danced to the continuous background music.—
PJ Green
April 28,
Kansas City Star,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In years past, heavyweights like Copenhagen’s AOC, Koks from the Faroe Islands, Reykjavík’s Dill, and Portugal’s Vistas Rui Silvestre have all danced through its doors.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flickered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flickered. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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