flash·back
ˈflash-ˌbak 
1
: a recession of flame to an unwanted position (as into a blowpipe)
2
a
: interruption of chronological sequence (as in a film or literary work) by interjection of events of earlier occurrence
also
: an instance of flashback
b
: a past incident recurring vividly in the mind
flashed back; flashing back; flashes back
1
: to focus one's mind on or vividly remember a past time or incident
—usually used with to
flashed back to my childhood
2
: to employ a flashback (as in a film)
—usually used with to
Synonyms
Examples of flashback in a Sentence
Noun
The character's childhood was described in a series of flashbacks.
He's having flashbacks of his days in the war.
Verb
the scent made me flash back to the days of my mother's home-cooked Sunday dinners
Recent Examples on the Web
Alison Herman, Variety, 12 May 2024
Kelley returns in season 7, episode 7, both as Shannon in flashbacks and as a new character: Kim, a woman who works at a store Eddie passes and then revisits.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 10 May 2024
For months Kirk suffered from flashbacks and sleepless nights.
—Emily Lippiello, ABC News, 9 May 2024
The series used multiple timelines, showing stories that took place in the present as well as flashbacks to the siblings’ childhood and flash-forwards to later years.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Throughout the emotional episode, Chimney has flashbacks to the ups and downs of his relationship with Maddie, from confrontations with her violent ex-husband to her surprise pregnancy with a baby girl.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
In one such flashback, a young Lali, newly arrived at Auschwitz, is still uncertain about the camp’s purpose.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
There are flashbacks to past shows, interstitial material and most important, performances by some of the host country’s most beloved artists.
—Fred Bronson, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Sierra's plot is propulsive and is literally heart-pounding, but is interspersed with flashbacks that reveal the scenarios that led the family to this exact moment.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 26 Apr. 2024
Sarah Grant, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Freewheeling through time and flashing back to events depicted in the series, El Camino picks up right where Breaking Bad left off, and includes a host of cameos from the show's five-season run.
—EW.com, 18 Jan. 2024
Most guests recorded bits and snatches of mental film as the evening flowed on, scenes that will flash back for some time to come.
—Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024
When the clip flashes back to the home, Williams is still stationed on the floor there — arms wrapped around an exhausted version of herself seeking comfort.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
As Oppenheimer defends himself in front of a committee of hanging judges, the movie uses his anecdotes to flash back in time, and Nolan creates a hypnotic multi-tiered storytelling structure, using it to tease out the hidden continuities that shaped Oppenheimer’s life and his creation of the bomb.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 July 2023
The Quinta Brunson comedy picked up five months into the school year, only flashing back to the beginning of the year at the show’s central school, in order to sync up with real life.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
From there, the premiere flashes back to the morning after Belly and Conrad's first kiss, as Belly immediately confesses to Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) what happened with his older brother.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 14 July 2023
Golden State could flash back to Nikola Jokic’s prayer 3 that banked in with 0.7 seconds left, or Chet Holmgren’s buzzer-beating 3 in an OT loss and, days later, his trio of game-winning free throws made off a Draymond Green faux-pas foul.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
In the flashbacks that form the primary timeline, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) has left New Orleans for World War II Europe, taking the ghost of his maker and ex-lover Lestat (Sam Reid) along with him.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 12 May 2024
Kelley returns in season 7, episode 7, both as Shannon in flashbacks and as a new character: Kim, a woman who works at a store Eddie passes and then revisits.
—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 10 May 2024
For months Kirk suffered from flashbacks and sleepless nights.
—Emily Lippiello, ABC News, 9 May 2024
The series used multiple timelines, showing stories that took place in the present as well as flashbacks to the siblings’ childhood and flash-forwards to later years.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Throughout the emotional episode, Chimney has flashbacks to the ups and downs of his relationship with Maddie, from confrontations with her violent ex-husband to her surprise pregnancy with a baby girl.
—Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
In one such flashback, a young Lali, newly arrived at Auschwitz, is still uncertain about the camp’s purpose.
—Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2024
There are flashbacks to past shows, interstitial material and most important, performances by some of the host country’s most beloved artists.
—Fred Bronson, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Sierra's plot is propulsive and is literally heart-pounding, but is interspersed with flashbacks that reveal the scenarios that led the family to this exact moment.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 26 Apr. 2024
Verb
Rose flashes back to being eight years old and playing with his best friends, whose mother died of cancer.
—Sarah Grant, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Freewheeling through time and flashing back to events depicted in the series, El Camino picks up right where Breaking Bad left off, and includes a host of cameos from the show's five-season run.
—EW.com, 18 Jan. 2024
Most guests recorded bits and snatches of mental film as the evening flowed on, scenes that will flash back for some time to come.
—Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024
When the clip flashes back to the home, Williams is still stationed on the floor there — arms wrapped around an exhausted version of herself seeking comfort.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
As Oppenheimer defends himself in front of a committee of hanging judges, the movie uses his anecdotes to flash back in time, and Nolan creates a hypnotic multi-tiered storytelling structure, using it to tease out the hidden continuities that shaped Oppenheimer’s life and his creation of the bomb.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 July 2023
The Quinta Brunson comedy picked up five months into the school year, only flashing back to the beginning of the year at the show’s central school, in order to sync up with real life.
—Jackie Strause, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Feb. 2024
From there, the premiere flashes back to the morning after Belly and Conrad's first kiss, as Belly immediately confesses to Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) what happened with his older brother.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 14 July 2023
Golden State could flash back to Nikola Jokic’s prayer 3 that banked in with 0.7 seconds left, or Chet Holmgren’s buzzer-beating 3 in an OT loss and, days later, his trio of game-winning free throws made off a Draymond Green faux-pas foul.
—Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flashback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Flashback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flashback. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flashback
noun
flash·back
ˈflash-ˌbak
1
: the introduction of a past event into a story or motion picture
also
: this past event
2
: a past incident recurring clearly in the mind
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