1
as in bursts
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a flash of last-minute trips to the grocery store before the onset of the big snowstorm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in explosions
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
a much-needed flash of humor during the otherwise boring lecture
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in minutes
a very small space of time
the shower will be over in a flash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in miracles
something extraordinary or surprising
the new goalie for our hockey team was apparently quite a flash in his hometown
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in gleams
to shoot forth bursts of light
the actress's diamond necklace flashed as she hurried on stage to accept the award
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in displays
to present so as to invite notice or attention
flashed a wad of cash as he paid for his dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in announces
to make known openly or publicly
flashed the news of the royal birth around the world
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flashes
The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Rookie quarterback Cam Ward has shown flashes but has already been sacked 15 times, exposing major cracks in Tennessee's offensive line.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Storms can be spotty and short-lived, while others can unleash strong winds, flashes of lightning and torrential downpours.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Such sensors can identify electromagnetic pulses, X-rays, and optical flashes from nuclear explosions anywhere on Earth, allowing the US to determine a detonation’s time, location, and yield in real time.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Along the way, blazes of pyrotechnics, flashes of light and hazes of smoke heightened the set’s intensity.
—Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal, 22 Sep. 2025
Colliding neutron stars create kilonovae, with brilliant electromagnetic flashes.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 22 Sep. 2025
Released post-Columbine and heavily influenced by that tragedy, Scream 3 walks back from the gruesome violence and flashes of genuine nastiness that permeated the previous installments.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Sep. 2025
Moments of romantic play give way to flashes of authoritarian force, broken up by thumping EDM.
—David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
The film begins with a flashback scene to the beginning of the rage virus, then flashes forward 28 years to an isolated island near the Scottish Highlands, where its inhabitants are isolated from the zombie-like creatures that roam the mainland.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
The fall in home borrowing costs comes as the bond market flashes signals that the US economy may be deteriorating more than expected, after new data suggested that the US labor market was much weaker than previously thought.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
But before the title even flashes on screen, we are granted the disturbingly detailed view of a bullet ripping through the face of a young boy.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
If a fan’s only window into football analytics is a contextless statistic that flashes on the screen, though, then they might be justified in thinking data was useless.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Archie the coach strides past my possie and flashes me a smile.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The sinister Dark Hearts motorcycle gang can be a little one-note, but Jamie McShane flashes frightening menace as gang leader Perry.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 28 Aug. 2025
The dial is surrounded by an LED ring that is blue when the griddle is on and cool, flashes red when in preheating mode, turns solid red when the target temperature is reached, flashes yellow when in Auto Season mode, and flashes orange if there’s an error.
—PC Magazine, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
Until the Senators turn flashes of greatness into consistent excellence, though, questions regarding their ceiling will continue to be asked.
—Verb
Hayley then flashes a strip of sonogram photos at the camera as the couple smiles and sways in the sunlight.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for flashes
Noun
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His new cutter, which replaced his slider, looks effective enough as a third pitch in short bursts.—
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For people with even less time available, short bursts of mindfulness can be incorporated into even the busiest of routines.—
Noun
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Kyiv awoke to loud explosions, drones flying overhead and air defenses booming.—
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This finding offers new insights into the life cycles of stars and the science of stellar explosions, challenging previous assumptions about nova recurrence rates and shell formation.—
Noun
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New research found that the technology underpinning a slew of artificial intelligence models is now advanced enough to pass even the most difficult – Level III – mock exams in a matter of minutes.—
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And my wife’s family is, like, an hour and 10 minutes away from Baltimore.—
Noun
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But nothing beats watching fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles with Westley/The Man in Black/The Dread Pirate Roberts as your guide.—
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In the end, this is a story about all the goodness and miracles – yes, miracles — that came after the crash.—
Verb
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Patches of unintelligibility are nothing new in Pynchon, but usually a coherent world view gleams upward from the murk.—
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Nothing gleams as beautifully as a white kitchen.—
Verb
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Businesses are finding that people enjoy planning Halloween displays well ahead of the holiday.—
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Entries for its 2025 Annual National Gingerbread House Competition are now being accepted, after it the event was canceled last year — though the inn put gingerbread displays all around Asheville instead.—
Verb
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Gabby perkily announces, sounding like a motivational coach at a weight-loss seminar.—
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Every Sunday, the chain announces a new collection of cookie flavors, which are only sold for one week.—
Noun
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Ali was scoring plenty with jabs and flurries, but his attempts to land big punches mostly fell flat.—
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Thin air and unpredictable wind flurries near Everest’s highest elevations prevent the drones from operating at some of the final camps leading to the summit.—
Cite this Entry
“Flashes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flashes. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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