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flashback

[flash-bak]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

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.
an event or scene so inserted.
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

/ ˈ�ڱ�æʃˌ��æ�� /

noun

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

verb

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of flashback¹

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And in some cases, people can react to these experiences in a similar way as they do to a traumatic event, with flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and emotional instability, Jungaberle said.

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"Every moment, I would get flashbacks," he recalls of his time in hospital.

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Since the crash, she has suffered repeated flashbacks and nightmares, and spent weeks in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and later New Cross in Wolverhampton before continuing her rehabilitation at home.

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As the day’s events unfold, interrupted by flashbacks of the 14 months leading up to it, a mysterious pink fog begins to appear around L.A.

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Our first indication that he might not be like the other goons with badges is shown in his expository flashback.

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When To Use

�� 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.

flash flash-bang

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