flashback
a device in the narrative of a motion picture, novel, etc., by which an event or scene taking place before the present time in the narrative is inserted into the chronological structure of the work.
an event or scene so inserted.
Also called flashback hallucinosis. Psychiatry.
the spontaneous recurrence of visual hallucinations or other effects of a drug, as LSD, long after the use of the drug has been discontinued.
recurrent and abnormally vivid recollection of a traumatic experience, as a battle, sometimes accompanied by hallucinations.
Origin of flashback
1Words Nearby flashback
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use flashback in a sentence
Most of the canonical pre-history of Jordan's fictional world is revealed in flashbacks and legends found in The Wheel of Time Companion, but it is otherwise largely unexplored territory.
We’re getting a Wheel of Time prequel film trilogy to augment Amazon series | Jennifer Ouellette | July 14, 2021 | Ars TechnicaThen, another flashback opens — and we’re back to the scene of the crime.
‘Cruel Summer’ finale reveals the truth about its biggest mystery. We think. | Bethonie Butler | June 16, 2021 | Washington PostThe intensity of that man-made hive was like a flashback to the stress of packed subways, highways, and calendars.
The Brain-Boosting Joy of Seeing Art Live With Other Humans for the First Time in Two Years | Susanna Schrobsdorff | May 10, 2021 | TimeThe scenes with the fewest frills work the best, particularly those involving Wright and Hudson, many of which are flashbacks that show the family dynamic at work.
Monster Tells a Harrowing Story—But the Filmmaking Gets in the Way | Stephanie Zacharek | May 7, 2021 | TimeBrundage introduces flashbacks that reveal the fissures in the Clares’ marriage—a tension that isn’t made clear in the film until later on.
What to Know About the Real-Life Inspiration Behind Netflix's Things Heard & Seen | Annabel Gutterman | April 29, 2021 | Time
While excoriating the IRS, Huckabee brings his readers along on a flashback to his youth.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! | Olivia Nuzzi | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTNo, that would be the flashback revelation that Ross and Monica accidentally kissed once at a party.
In a flashback scene, Alicia tries to rebuild her life by interviewing for jobs and returning to work.
Julianna Margulies's Favorite 'The Good Wife' Scenes | Julianna Margulies | August 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTo give just one example of the way that culture has influenced how we think about trauma, consider the “flashback.”
Surviving War Doesn’t Turn All Veterans into Victims, Sometimes it Helps Them Grow | David Morris | May 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis process is shown alongside black-and-white flashback clips of Christian preparing for his first-ever presentation.
Designing the New Dior: ‘Dior & I’ Documentary Debuts at TriBeCa Film Festival | Erin Cunningham | April 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe woke to find Billy gone, and had a momentary panic, a flashback to the day that Fred had gone missing in the night.
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town | Cory Doctorow
British Dictionary definitions for flashback
/ (ˈflæʃˌbæk) /
a transition in a novel, film, etc, to an earlier scene or event
(intr, adverb) to return in a novel, film, etc, to a past event
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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