flashing

[ flash-ing ]

noun

1. Building Trades. pieces of sheet metal or the like used to cover and protect certain joints and angles, as where a roof comes in contact with a wall or chimney, especially against leakage.
2. the act of creating an artificial flood in a conduit or stream, as in a sewer for cleansing it.
3. Photography, Movies. the process of increasing film speed by exposing undeveloped film briefly to a weak light source before using it or of exposing photographic printing paper to reduce contrast.

flashing

/ ˈflæʃɪŋ /

noun

1. a weatherproof material, esp thin sheet metal, used to cover the valleys between the slopes of a roof, the junction between a chimney and a roof, etc

Other Words From

• inter·flashing noun
• un·flashing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of flashing¹

First recorded in 1775–85; flash + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

In another, strangers sing together from their cars in a drive-in theater parking lot, flashing their headlights at the glowing screen — their distance and location a reminder of the pandemic era.

From Los Angeles Times

As the clock ticks closer to the 8 p.m. curtain time, the lobby more clearly resembles a house party — a chatty, mingling crowd, flashing colorful lights and flowing red wine.

From Los Angeles Times

The first was against linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo for flashing the team’s fourth-down hand signal toward the Nebraska sideline, which was considered taunting.

From Los Angeles Times

It's almost like your life is flashing before your eyes in that moment.

From BBC

He had backed legislation that could raise Medicare drug premiums more than 50 percent, the ad warned, with bold text over video of Tester flashing a smile in the barber’s chair, clippers chewing through flat and villainous hair, while immigrants amassed at the border in a split screen.

From Slate