flashback

American  

[flash-bak] / ˈflæʃˌbæk /

noun

• flashbacks
  plural

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.

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flashback British  

/ ˈflæʃˌbæk /

noun

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

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verb

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

Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flashbacks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flashback

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

Explanation

A flashback is a transition in a story to an earlier time, that interrupts the normal chronological order of events. A flashback in a movie might show what happened when a character was younger. Flashbacks are often used for comedic effect, to prove or contradict something in the present. For example, if a character in a sitcom claims he does the dishes every single night, flashbacks could show him ignoring a giant pile of dirty dishes on various occasions. Flashback can also mean a sudden, vivid remembrance of past events, like having a flashback to your kindergarten days if you go visit that classroom today.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flashback flashbacks

Mr. Mezrich tells the story of the rise of Chess.com, and of Mr. Carlsen’s and Mr. Niemann’s careers, in flashback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

Directed by series creator Christopher Storer, it’s not so much a prequel as another of the show’s Mikey-centric flashback episodes; “Fishes” won Bernthal a 2024 guest actor Emmy.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

"I thought it would be interesting to take two broken men in adult life and flashback to their childhood to see what made them the way they are."

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

Plus: A flashback to the Dow’s 3000 milestone, 35 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

In some future installment, a flashback, I shall perhaps recount that pilgrimage through the swamps, a journey into the desert from which I returned broken physically, mentally, and spiritually.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

The flashbacks come daily, to the point that he has needed to see a therapist.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

Manning still has flashbacks — now, compounded by fear that the next evacuation could be complicated by heavy truck traffic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

At around age 19 or 20, he began having regular night terrors and daily flashbacks to “horrific, nightmarish things.”

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

The return to near-7% mortgage rates sparks flashbacks to the end of 2023, when a rapid surge in rates sent home sales plummeting to an annual rate of 3.86 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

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

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• hallucination
• memory
• recollection