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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

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

“For some people, they’re not plugged into their phones 24/7, and they don’t care much about getting the newsflash at 3:30 in the afternoon.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2021

Dean and his wife of Highland, Wisconsin, were listening to dance music on their radio when it was interrupted by the newsflash about a Mars disturbance.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

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