flash-forward

noun

flash-for·​ward ˈflash-ˈfȯr-wərd How to pronounce flash-forward (audio)
: interruption of chronological sequence (as in a film or novel) by interjection of events of future occurrence
also : an instance of flash-forward
flash forward intransitive verb

Examples of flash-forward in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After a flash-forward to the 2023 estate sale that followed McMurtry’s 2021 death, Streitfeld lays out his subject’s life nearly chronologically, starting with his 1936 birth in Archer City, the small Texas town that inspired The Last Picture Show. The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026 That cliffhanger leads into what will be a tragic finale, opening up with the ‘90s power couple finding themselves in a rocky place, as was teased in the flash-forward first moments of the premiere. Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026 That’s thanks in one part to a gripping flash-forward narrative structure now so common it could be considered a cliché, and in another to Glenn Close’s indelible performance as ruthless litigator Patty Hewes. Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026 The show, a sort of elegy for Gen X, opens with a flash-forward to July 16, 1999, the final hours of Carolyn and John. Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flash-forward

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of flash-forward was in 1928

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flash-forward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flash-forward. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.

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