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
Andy Jones, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder With PTSD, people experience intrusive flashbacks and feelings of stress related to a previous traumatic event.
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 28 Apr. 2025
Calum Marsh, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The narrative then flashes back to the arrival of the guests a week before, when the mystery of the victim and their killer slowly unravels until the big reveal in the eighth episode.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flashback
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Noun
You would have been forgiven for having flashbacks a few weeks later as the ball travelled into the box in the reverse fixture at Anfield, with Liverpool again defending a one-goal lead.
—Andy Jones, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder With PTSD, people experience intrusive flashbacks and feelings of stress related to a previous traumatic event.
—Sanja Jelic, Verywell Health, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
Berman flashes back through the lavish bacchanalia of Alex’s last months, through the eyes of a podcaster trying to unravel the mystery of his death, to reveal the knotty story behind the apparent suicide.
—Calum Marsh, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
The narrative then flashes back to the arrival of the guests a week before, when the mystery of the victim and their killer slowly unravels until the big reveal in the eighth episode.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 4 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 12 May. 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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