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

Example Sentences

A later flash-forward showed him elderly, symbolically handing his iconic shield to his former wingman - literally, a winged man - Sam Wilson.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

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

Before the opening credits in “The Forger,” a brief flash-forward scene shows a young man scampering into a lost and found office.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2023

Suwa’s section isn’t as narratively propulsive as Santi’s; the coda, which gives us a flash-forward peek into the future, feels a bit like gilding the lily.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 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