flashbacks

noun

plural of flashback
1
as in memories

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in pasts

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of flashbacks Brief flashbacks to Mary’s earlier concerts are merely informational; another flashback, to a séance at which Mary yielded to self-harming mysticism, is far more consequential, leading to violence in Sam’s studio. — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flashbacks
  1. memories
  2. pasts
  3. recollections
  4. histories
  5. reminiscences
  6. yesterdays
  7. yesteryears
Noun
  • But the careers of those champions and potential role models are becoming increasingly distant memories.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Stolen and enslaved Indigenous people formed new networks of kinship; learned new skills and languages; retained memories of family, kin, and rituals; and, through it all, continually plotted to return home.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of memories
Noun
  • Based on its trailer, Wild Horse Nine, which premieres in competition on September 3, seems to find McDonagh back in his sweet spot, helming a pitch-black comedy about two charismatic men wrestling with their dark pasts.
    — Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 2026
  • As they are pulled into conflicts that stir dark memories from their own pasts, the boundaries between play and dangerous power struggles dissolve — and victims and perpetrators become impossible to tell apart.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of pasts
Noun
  • Those who were born may not be old enough to have the vivid recollections of an older generation.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The gambit proves little more than a cliché and sheds no further light on what these recollections offer the main story.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of recollections
Noun
  • The offensive line must stay healthy-ish, and a few key players have recent injury histories.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • This is not only because of the speed at which images are consumed, but also because these visual forms carry long histories.
    — Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of histories
Noun
  • The Police’s Stewart Copeland, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Tool’s Danny Carey, and Porcupine Tree’s Gavin Harrison jam with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson with breaks for reminiscences.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Everyone and every place come supplied with a full quota of anecdotes and reminiscences.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of reminiscences
Noun
  • The two candidates who advance to the general election would be wise to offer Californians a hope for the future that doesn’t call back to our yesterdays.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
  • Today, as in all of mankind’s yesterdays, guarantees this type of song will never go out of style.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2026
Definition of yesterdays
Noun
  • Non-manufacturing teams are spending more time in the plants than ever, and executive visits happen more regularly over the big, scripted affairs of yesteryears.
    — Breana Noble, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2026
Definition of yesteryears

Browse Nearby Words

flashback
flashbacks
flash back (to)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flashbacks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flashbacks. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of patina

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All