flashback

American  

[flash-bak] / ˈflæʃˌbæk /

noun

• flashbacks
  plural

1. 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.

2. an event or scene so inserted.

3. Also called flashback hallucinosis.  Psychiatry.

   1. the spontaneous recurrence of visual hallucinations or other effects of a drug, as LSD, long after the use of the drug has been discontinued.

   2. recurrent and abnormally vivid recollection of a traumatic experience, as a battle, sometimes accompanied by hallucinations.

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flashback British  

/ ˈflæʃˌbæk /

noun

1. a transition in a novel, film, etc, to an earlier scene or event

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verb

1. (intr, adverb) to return in a novel, film, etc, to a past event

Usage

What does flashback mean? A flashback is a technique in movies, novels, and other narratives in which the present story transitions into a scene from the past. When used as a verb, the term is usually spelled as two words, as in My favorite part of the book is when it flashes back to their childhood. The opposite of a flashback is a flash-forward—when the narrative transitions into a scene from the future. Flashback is also used in psychology to refer to recollections or hallucinations of past events. Example: The flashback scene showed how they got their superpowers.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flashbacks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flashback

1910–15; 1965–70 flashback for def. 3; noun use of verb phrase flash back

Explanation

A flashback is a transition in a story to an earlier time, that interrupts the normal chronological order of events. A flashback in a movie might show what happened when a character was younger. Flashbacks are often used for comedic effect, to prove or contradict something in the present. For example, if a character in a sitcom claims he does the dishes every single night, flashbacks could show him ignoring a giant pile of dirty dishes on various occasions. Flashback can also mean a sudden, vivid remembrance of past events, like having a flashback to your kindergarten days if you go visit that classroom today.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flashback flashbacks

Mr. Mezrich tells the story of the rise of Chess.com, and of Mr. Carlsen’s and Mr. Niemann’s careers, in flashback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

Plus: A flashback to the Dow’s 3000 milestone, 35 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

We talked earlier about the flashback and what we learn about how Daisy found herself in Gilead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

The eight-episode series opens with a flashback to Sherlock’s childhood, revealing the loss of his sister Beatrice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026

I'd coached my students through half a dozen episodes, giving them background information and explaining that missing children do not just march through the door ten minutes after the critical delivery flashback.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

“I would have random flashbacks and panic attacks from anything,” he told me.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

In a statement read on her behalf immediately before sentencing, she described suffering "flashbacks".

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

“If you talk to old-timers who fought this thing in the ’50s and ’60s, they talk about it like it was Vietnam: They are having flashbacks to confronting this horror.”

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

In long flashbacks, Daphne unfolds her memories of the night of the accident to her sister.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

I get some flashbacks of when we were growing up.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Related Words

• hallucination
• memory
• recollection