flæʃ
flæʃlight
1 [countable] a sudden bright light that shines for a moment and then disappearsa flash of lightningFlashes of light were followed by an explosion.There was a blinding flash and the whole building shuddered.signal
2 [countable] the act of shining a light on something, especially as a signalin photography
3 [countable, uncountable] a piece of equipment that produces a bright light for a very short time, used for taking photographs indoors, when it is dark, etc; the use of this when taking a photographa camera with a built-in flashI'll need flash for this shot.flash photographyof bright colour
4 [countable] flash of something the sudden appearance for a short time of something brighta flash of white teethOn the horizon, she saw a flash of silver—the sea!sudden idea/emotion
5 [countable] flash of something a particular feeling or idea that suddenly comes into your mind or shows in your facea flash of anger/inspiration, etc.When she looked at me, I caught a flash of recognition in her eyes.‘Did you really win first prize?’ he said with a flash of genuine admiration.on uniform
7 [countable] (British English) a band or small piece of cloth worn on a military uniform to show a person's rankon book/pack
8 [countable] a band of colour or writing across a book, pack, etc.computing
9 Flash™ [uncountable] a program which creates moving images for websitesIdioms
a flash in the pan
a sudden success that lasts only a short time and is not likely to be repeated
He needed to prove that his success was not just a flash in the pan.in/like a flash
very quickly and suddenly
The weekend seemed to be over in a flash.The answer came to me like a flash.