flashback

1 of 2

noun

flash·​back ˈflash-ˌbak How to pronounce flashback (audio)
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

flash back

2 of 2

verb

flashed back; flashing back; flashes back

intransitive verb

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

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
However, the film’s various entry points into these flashbacks follow no consistent structure or logic, which dulls their emotional impact. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024 The outcome was a scary flashback for the Kings, who led by 30 in Chicago on Feb. 3 before the Bulls came back to cut the deficit to three. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Harmon’s son Sean — who played a young Gibbs in flashbacks on several NCIS episodes — is also an EP. Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Mar. 2024 The three-hour film, which is semi-trippy and flashback heavy, chronicles the trials and tribulations of the secret Manhattan Project's J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy). Leanne Italie, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 Laverne Cox and Danielle Brooks Just Had a Sweet Orange Is the New Black Reunion 5 hr 36 min ago The Color Purple star and 2024 SAG Awards nominee Danielle Brooks just had a sweet flashback moment with E!'s Live From the Red Carpet host Laverne Cox. Lindsay Kimble, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 Ditto the flashbacks to her middle-class family back in the West African country, who can afford to hire armed security guards while intimations of civil war percolate around them. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2024 But alongside the celebratory mood, a poignant moment in the music video comes during a flashback when viewers see Dahyun crying in the dance studio with several members trying to cheer her up. Jeff Benjamin, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024 Half of 13- to 15-year-olds have trouble sleeping, and 1 in 5 have intrusive thoughts and flashbacks — typical manifestations of post-traumatic stress disorder. Maryanne Murray Buechner, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
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 The second episode then flashes back to the events leading up to the disappearance, with Margaret meeting Mercy by chance, and courting her to help care for Gus and his older siblings. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 27 Jan. 2024 His mind flashed back to the night before — at the team hotel in Owings Mills, Maryland — when the Chiefs held their quarterback meeting with coaches. Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2024 The book begins at Oppenheimer’s funeral and then flashes back to his childhood, before churning on through the prewar years and the development of the bomb. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 29 Jan. 2024 The trailer then flashed back to the royal sisters as teenagers (played by Prettejohn and Gadsdon) sharing a hug on what appears to be VE Day. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 1 Dec. 2023 The Crown is flashing back to Kate Middleton’s model moment at the University of St. Andrews. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023

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.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flashback was in 1903

Dictionary Entries Near flashback

flash back

flashback

flash-bang

Cite this Entry

“Flashback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flashback. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

flashback

noun
flash·​back ˈflash-ˌbak How to pronounce flashback (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on flashback

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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