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
  • The song develops into a slow-burn, lighters-up jam, its long, unhurried coda like getting lost in a sea of echoing, overlapping memories.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
  • That’s not because Crystal soft-pedals the emotional horror of returning to your home to find charred remains after watching, helpless, as flames took the locus of all your best memories.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of memories
Noun
  • As Ruben and Gus form an unlikely friendship, the bond is jeopardized when both men’s pasts threaten to catch up with them.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • A number of pasts—Dutch, Puritan English, and revolutionary era—have been subsumed in the telling, and the changes Rip finds on returning to his village suggest Irving’s own ambivalence about the direction the United States was taking.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of pasts
Noun
  • One of his earliest recollections of Michael is asking him for Starbursts — specifically the pink and red ones, his favorite flavors.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The anecdote offered a glimpse into Pollak's recollections of Torn's off-camera behavior.
    — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of recollections
Noun
  • To see if those different histories made the monkeys more germophobic, the researchers presented individuals with two tasty treats — grapes.
    — Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The duo shared an apartment and both had extensive criminal histories, including theft and financial scams, across various states.
    — Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of histories
Noun
  • His tribute to his home in the Palisades is full of rosy reminiscences and a few woo-woo anecdotes.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Léo’s tenderly nostalgic reminiscences of past love affairs are slapped down by Emma, who brusquely dismisses his pleasant recollections as mere male projection.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 11 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 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All