flashback

[flash-bak]

noun

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.

flashback

/ ˈflæʃˌbæk /

noun

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

verb

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of flashback¹

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

Example Sentences

Netflix released the first five minutes of the new season in early November, in which we see a flashback to Will’s time trapped in the Upside Down.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

My mind graces me with flashbacks of the woman, with eyes as orange as the Halloween pumpkins Autumn already had out on the porch.

Read more on Literature

"I basically lost my job. I lost my home. My home was a crime scene. I was terrified to be awake, terrified to be asleep because of the nightmares and the flashbacks," she said.

Read more on BBC

Lew, still experiencing traumatic flashbacks from his combat experience, likes to take things slow and easy: “Waiting is an art form.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As the song fills the room, he's transported back to a 90s club, dancing with his friends, before seeing flashbacks of his son as a baby.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• hallucination 
• memory 
• recollection 

When To Use

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.