zlacker

>>cosmoj+(OP)
The dictionaries the author starts with seem to be the concise dictionaries which are intended to be that way. I don't blame him since the full dictionaries (e.g. OED) are hidden behind paywalls but the full dictionaries are really, really good. The entry for "flash" in the OED for example contains literary examples of the kind the author seems to want, like "red the gaze that flashes desolation". The OED also includes several senses of the word and its etymology.

The OED costs $100/year for US residents or £100/year for everyone else [0] but you can often get access through a library. The San Francisco Public Library has a proxy you can use if you have a library card there [1].

[0]: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/oxford-english-dicti...

[1]: http://www.oed.com.ezproxy.sfpl.org

>>Youden+jc
If you're in the UK then many public libraries have subscriptions to the OED which include "remote access". This means you can log in from anywhere just by putting your library card number into the OED's login form. So check that before signing up for a hundred quid a year :-)

>>pm215+1m
This is also true for many colleges & universities in the USA. If you have any university affiliation, check with your university library system first.