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newsflash

British  
/ ˈnjuːzˌflæʃ /

noun

  1. a brief item of important news, often interrupting a radio or television programme

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Explanation

On television or the radio, a newsflash is an important, timely piece of news that's delivered quickly. If a tornado is headed for your city, your favorite soap opera will be interrupted by a newsflash. Some news bulletins take the form of a "news crawler" or "ticker," a line of type that scrolls across the bottom of your TV screen. A newsflash is different, because it actually interrupts whatever show you're watching. The information conveyed in a newsflash is seen as being important enough for viewers to take a quick break, so that they don't miss it.

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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:

When asked about the consternation within the group following the election, Mr. Perry told reporters, “I don’t know if this is a newsflash for you, but people around here don’t always agree on everything.”

From Washington Times Dec. 12, 2023

"All of us in Congress receive death threats. I don't know if that's a newsflash for anybody here," Republican Representative Scott Perry said.

From Reuters Oct. 20, 2023

It was something of a newsflash: The defending Super Bowl champion Rams executed an effective rushing attack.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 17, 2022

In the days before rolling news channels or the internet, the first the audience would hear of a huge story was often through a television newsflash.

From BBC Apr. 3, 2022

Immediately after George and his family of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, dialed the radio to The Mercury Theatre, a newsflash came on.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

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