Collins English-English Dictionary

flash [flæʃ]

1. 1. n a sudden short blaze of intense light or flame

   a flash of sunlight

2. 2. n newsflash a short news announcement concerning a new event

3. 3. n a sudden occurrence or display, esp one suggestive of brilliance

   a flash of understanding

4. 4. n [chiefly Brit] patch an insignia or emblem worn on a uniform, vehicle, etc, to identify its military formation

5. 5. n a very brief space of time

   over in a flash

6. 6. n an ostentatious display

   a flash of her diamonds

7. 7. n a patch of bright colour on a dark background, such as light marking on an animal

8. 8. n a volatile mixture of inorganic salts used to produce a glaze on bricks or tiles

9. 9. n a sudden rush of water down a river or watercourse

10. 10. n a device, such as a sluice, for producing such a rush

11. 11. n short for flashlight

12. 12. n [photog] [informal] a ridge of thin metal or plastic formed on a moulded object by the extrusion of excess material between dies

13. 13. n [Yorkshire and Lancashire] [dialect] a pond, esp one produced as a consequence of subsidence

14. 14. n [modifier] involving, using, or produced by a flash of heat, light, etc

    flash blindness

    flash distillation

15. 15. adj [informal] ostentatious or vulgar

16. 16. adj [informal] of or relating to gamblers and followers of boxing and racing

17. 17. adj sham or counterfeit

18. 18. adj [informal] relating to or characteristic of the criminal underworld

19. 19. adj brief and rapid

    flash freezing

20. 20. vb to burst or cause to burst suddenly or intermittently into flame

21. 21. vb to emit or reflect or cause to emit or reflect light suddenly or intermittently

22. 22. vi. [intr] to move very fast

    he flashed by on his bicycle

23. 23. vi. [intr] to come rapidly (into the mind or vision)

24. 24. vi. [intr; foll by out or up] to appear like a sudden light

    his anger really flashes out at times

25. 25. vi. to signal or communicate very fast

    to flash a message

26. 26. vi. to signal by use of a light, such as car headlights

27. 27. vt. [tr] [informal] to display ostentatiously

    to flash money around

28. 28. vt. [tr] [informal] to show suddenly and briefly

29. 29. vi. [intr] [Brit] [slang] to expose oneself indecently

30. 30. vt. [tr] to cover (a roof) with flashing

31. 31. vt. to send a sudden rush of water down (a river, etc), or to carry (a vessel) down by this method

32. 32. vt. (in the making of glass) to coat (glass) with a thin layer of glass of a different colour

33. 33. vt. [tr] to subject to a brief pulse of heat or radiation

34. 34. vt. [tr] to change (a liquid) to a gas by causing it to hit a hot surface

35. 35. vt. [obsolete] to splash or dash (water)

36. 36. vt. [Etymology] C14 (in the sense: to rush, as of water): of unknown origin