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.

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Etymology

Origin of flash-forward

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

Example Sentences

I can’t be the only person who initially mistook Henry and Blake as the same guy and assumed the brutal opening flashback was actually a flash-forward.

From Los Angeles Times

But never mind: We can flash-forward through the next 30 or so years of Trump’s lifetime presidency and then fade out on his face atop Mount Rushmore.

From Salon

Starting a TV series with a shocking flash-forward is a tiresome and overused narrative device, but once the plot spools back and the series finds its groove, it is superb.

From BBC

There’s also 12 years and 11 seasons of back story to keep in mind — and a ton of lore, including flash-forward child births and complex double-crosses.

From New York Times

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