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
Synonyms
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
Sara Netzley, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Reena herself gets lost in the shuffle, despite copious flashbacks that detail not only the months leading up to her passing but the decades of family history that came before.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
The series used multiple timelines, showing stories that took place in the present as well as flashbacks to the siblings’ childhood and flash-forwards to later years.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Much of Thursday’s episode was composed of flashbacks to their romantic times on the show.
—Chris Jordan, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Speaking Monday were one more woman and three men, all of whom described fears of intimacy, trust issues, insecurities and flashbacks.
—Steve Thompson, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
In a key flashback, Rana—acting on Shakti’s orders—clears out Kid’s forest-adjacent village so the land can be used for industrial growth.
—Siddhant Adlakha, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The film’s blurring of reality and delusion will leave you reeling: director Sean Durkin blends flashbacks and paranoid fantasies into a disturbing, visually lush narrative.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2024
Lucas plays a younger John Dutton (Kevin Costner) in flashback scenes of the Paramount hit.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2024
Sarah Grant, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Freewheeling through time and flashing back to events depicted in the series, El Camino picks up right where Breaking Bad left off, and includes a host of cameos from the show's five-season run.
—EW.com, 18 Jan. 2024
Most guests recorded bits and snatches of mental film as the evening flowed on, scenes that will flash back for some time to come.
—Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024
When the clip flashes back to the home, Williams is still stationed on the floor there — arms wrapped around an exhausted version of herself seeking comfort.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
As Oppenheimer defends himself in front of a committee of hanging judges, the movie uses his anecdotes to flash back in time, and Nolan creates a hypnotic multi-tiered storytelling structure, using it to tease out the hidden continuities that shaped Oppenheimer’s life and his creation of the bomb.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 July 2023
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
Noun
What was your favorite flashback or Easter egg? Since 2000, the NCIS agents in D.C., L.A., New Orleans, Hawaii, and Sydney have been shot, tortured, kidnapped, abused as part of a secret Russian agent child training program, and serenaded by Sheryl Crowe.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Reena herself gets lost in the shuffle, despite copious flashbacks that detail not only the months leading up to her passing but the decades of family history that came before.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
The series used multiple timelines, showing stories that took place in the present as well as flashbacks to the siblings’ childhood and flash-forwards to later years.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
Much of Thursday’s episode was composed of flashbacks to their romantic times on the show.
—Chris Jordan, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Speaking Monday were one more woman and three men, all of whom described fears of intimacy, trust issues, insecurities and flashbacks.
—Steve Thompson, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
In a key flashback, Rana—acting on Shakti’s orders—clears out Kid’s forest-adjacent village so the land can be used for industrial growth.
—Siddhant Adlakha, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The film’s blurring of reality and delusion will leave you reeling: director Sean Durkin blends flashbacks and paranoid fantasies into a disturbing, visually lush narrative.
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 22 Mar. 2024
Lucas plays a younger John Dutton (Kevin Costner) in flashback scenes of the Paramount hit.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Rose flashes back to being eight years old and playing with his best friends, whose mother died of cancer.
—Sarah Grant, SPIN, 10 Apr. 2024
Freewheeling through time and flashing back to events depicted in the series, El Camino picks up right where Breaking Bad left off, and includes a host of cameos from the show's five-season run.
—EW.com, 18 Jan. 2024
Most guests recorded bits and snatches of mental film as the evening flowed on, scenes that will flash back for some time to come.
—Gloria Steinem, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2024
When the clip flashes back to the home, Williams is still stationed on the floor there — arms wrapped around an exhausted version of herself seeking comfort.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
As Oppenheimer defends himself in front of a committee of hanging judges, the movie uses his anecdotes to flash back in time, and Nolan creates a hypnotic multi-tiered storytelling structure, using it to tease out the hidden continuities that shaped Oppenheimer’s life and his creation of the bomb.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 July 2023
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
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.
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Cite this Entry
“Flashback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flashback. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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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