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flash-forward

American  
[flash-fawr-werd] / ˈflæʃˈfɔr wərd /

noun

  1. a device in the narrative of a motion picture, novel, etc., by which a future event or scene is inserted into the chronological structure of the work.

  2. an event or scene so inserted.


Etymology

Origin of flash-forward

1945–50; flash + forward, on the model of flashback


Vocabulary lists containing flash-forward

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

They suggest the actors will appear in a flash-forward sequence which features in the novel the new film's based on.

From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2025

From its playfully inventive opening to its flash-forward finale, Thomas Hardiman’s wild — and wildly impressive — first feature, set during a British regional hairdressing competition, is a proudly indelicate, painstakingly structured pleasure.

From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2023

He's the only person she can really talk to, she says in the flash-forward when she's in her 20s and making major scientific breakthroughs.

From Salon ● May 20, 2023

In between a flash-forward opening and the concluding crash of a Seattle-bound Amtrak, he constructs a clear-eyed account of some its passengers and their 19th century ancestors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2022

There’s a flash-forward early on that indicates that we’ll be seeing more of the story at some point.

From The Verge ● Sep. 23, 2021

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