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
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
The novel starts with the original short story but then flashes back to the younger days of the parents, describing Serk’s World War II-era childhood as a Korean in Japan and Anne’s rootless life in America.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 2 June 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
Nicole Scherzinger flashed back to 2005 at the 2025 iteration of Broadway Bares, an annual charity event hosted in New York City with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2025
The novel starts with the original short story but then flashes back to the younger days of the parents, describing Serk’s World War II-era childhood as a Korean in Japan and Anne’s rootless life in America.
—Stuart Miller, Oc Register, 2 June 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 29 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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