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
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
Abigail Lee, Variety, 11 June 2025
That agreement also forbade The Conners from using her likeness — hence the offshoot never showing Roseanne Conner in pictures or in flashbacks.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 11 June 2025
Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025
Initially, only slivers of their true selves appear as the series flashes back and forth from the past to the present.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flashback
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Noun
And Jessica had been out there with the Bolex grabbing little snippets on 16-millimeter to put into the flashbacks as well.
—Abigail Lee, Variety, 11 June 2025
That agreement also forbade The Conners from using her likeness — hence the offshoot never showing Roseanne Conner in pictures or in flashbacks.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 11 June 2025
Verb
The first was to flash back to the schoolteacher with the soda.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025
Initially, only slivers of their true selves appear as the series flashes back and forth from the past to the present.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flashback
Cite this Entry
“Flashback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flashback. Accessed 22 Jun. 2025.
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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