- an interruption in the continuity of a story, play, film, etc. by an episode portraying a chronologically earlier occurrence
- such an episode
- a vivid, spontaneous recollection of a past experience, often, specif., of a traumatic experience
noun
The definition of a flashback is when an earlier moment is portrayed in a story or when a past experience is remembered.
An example of a flashback is suddenly remembering a scene from the war.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"flashback." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback>.
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flashback. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback
flashback
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"flashback." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback>.
APA Style
flashback. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback
flashback
noun
- a. A literary or cinematic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological order of a narrative.b. The episode or scene depicted by means of this device.
- a. Psychiatry A recurring, intensely vivid mental image of a past traumatic experience: soldiers who had flashbacks of the war.b. An unexpected recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug long after its original use.c. A vivid memory that arises spontaneously or is provoked by an experience.d. An experience that has characteristics of an earlier experience.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"flashback." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback>.
APA Style
flashback. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback
Noun
(plural flashbacks)
- a dramatic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological flow of a narrative
- (psychology) a vivid mental image of a past trauma, especially one that recurs
- a similar recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug
- the condition of the flame propagating down the hose of an oxy-fuel welding system
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"flashback." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback>.
APA Style
flashback. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback
flashback - Medical Definition
n.
- Psychiatry A recurring, intensely vivid mental image of a past traumatic experience: soldiers who had flashbacks of the war.
- An unexpected recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug long after its original use.
- A vivid memory that arises spontaneously or is provoked by an experience.
- An experience that has characteristics of an earlier experience.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"flashback." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 05 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback>.
APA Style
flashback. (n.d.). Retrieved December 05th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/flashback
Sentence Examples
- If you want to flashback to a popular 80s style, the above looks will work to create the big locks that rocked this decade.
- Whether you want to create a retro look or opt for a modern urban hairstyle, the following funky 80s hairstyles hairstyles will help you flashback in style.
- No padding - They use what they call "Flashback Technology" to lift and enhance so men don't have to worry about uncomfortable padding.
- Some models also feature anti-reflective coatings on the inner surface of the lens to reduce flashback if the sun is behind the runner.
- Or you can go strolling on the "Flashback" tour, which takes you to the city's famous, formerly hippy Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
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Words near flashback in the dictionary
- flashback
- flashbacks
- flashbang
- flashbangs