flashback
gb/flˈæʃbˌæk/ us/flˈæʃbˌæk/
B2
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
event
1
scene showing earlier events
a part of a story that shows the past
Usage pattern:
a flashback (to [time/event])
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse flashback (past) with flash-forward (future).
Synonyms
retrospective scene (More formal; emphasizes looking back.)
|
cutback (Film/TV term for a return to earlier events.)
Antonyms
flash-forward (A jump to events in the future.)
Collocations
a flashback scene
|a flashback sequence
|a brief flashback
|a dramatic flashback
|a flashback to childhood
|shown in flashback
|cut to a flashback
|told in flashback
|the film uses flashbacks
|a series of flashbacks
Themes
film_tv
|literature
|storytelling
Examples
- The episode opens with a flashback to their first meeting.
- A flashback explains why she refuses to go back to the house.
- The director uses flashbacks to reveal what really happened that night.
Learner examples
- The movie has a flashback to his childhood.
- We see her past in a flashback.
Noun
B2
event
2
sudden vivid memory
a sudden strong memory of the past
Usage pattern:
a flashback (to [time/event])
Common mistake:
Learners may overuse flashback for any memory; it usually suggests something sudden and vivid.
Synonyms
reminiscence (Usually calmer and less sudden.)
|
sudden recollection (More general; less emotional than flashback can be.)
Antonyms
forgetting (Not being able to remember.)
Collocations
have a flashback
|get a flashback
|a flashback to school
|a flashback from a smell
|trigger a flashback
|an unexpected flashback
|a vivid flashback
|a happy flashback
|a painful flashback
|flashbacks of childhood
Themes
mind
|memory
|daily_life
Examples
- That song gave me a flashback to our road trip.
- The smell of sunscreen triggered a flashback to summer camp.
- He paused mid-sentence, lost in a flashback.
Learner examples
- This photo gave me a flashback to college.
Noun
technical
C1
event
3
trauma re-experienced in the present
a strong, unwanted memory of trauma that feels real again
Usage pattern:
flashbacks (to [traumatic event])
Common mistake:
In clinical contexts, flashback is more intense than simply remembering something bad.
Synonyms
intrusive memory (Clinical term; may not include the 'reliving' feeling.)
|
reliving (Focuses on experiencing it again; less specific as a noun.)
Antonyms
grounding (A technique aimed at staying oriented in the present instead of reliving trauma.)
Collocations
PTSD flashbacks
|trauma flashbacks
|distressing flashbacks
|intrusive flashbacks
|have flashbacks
|experience flashbacks
|flashbacks and nightmares
|flashbacks during the day
|flashbacks after the accident
|coping with flashbacks
Themes
health
|psychology
Examples
- After the crash, she began having flashbacks when she heard screeching brakes.
- Certain sounds can trigger flashbacks for people with PTSD.
- He described flashbacks that made him feel as if he were back in the war zone.
Learner examples
- Some people with PTSD have flashbacks.
Noun
informal
B2
abstract
4
strong reminder of earlier time
something that makes you think of the past
Usage pattern:
a flashback to [decade/time]
Common mistake:
In this sense, flashback is often used jokingly; throwback is sometimes more natural for objects or styles.
Synonyms
throwback (Very common for old-style things; often positive/nostalgic.)
|
blast from the past (Idiomatic; emphasizes surprise and nostalgia.)
Antonyms
up-to-date look (Emphasizes being modern rather than reminiscent of the past.)
Collocations
a real flashback
|a total flashback
|a flashback to the 90s
|a fashion flashback
|a musical flashback
|a flashback moment
|a nostalgic flashback
|a flashback vibe
|a flashback feel
|such a flashback
Themes
culture
|fashion
|daily_life
Examples
- Those low-rise jeans are a flashback to the early 2000s.
- Walking into the diner felt like a flashback to my childhood.
- The synth-heavy track is a flashback to 80s pop.
Learner examples
- This hairstyle is a flashback to the 90s.
Verb
C1
process
5
remember suddenly; return to past
to suddenly remember the past
Usage pattern:
flashback (to [time/event])
Common mistake:
The verb is less common than the noun; many speakers prefer the two-word verb flash back.
Synonyms
relive (Stronger; suggests experiencing again, often emotionally.)
|
recall (More neutral; can be deliberate rather than sudden.)
Antonyms
forget (To fail to remember.)
Collocations
flashback to childhood
|flashback to that night
|flashback suddenly
|flashback when I hear
|flashback every time
|flashback in the middle of
|flashback during the meeting
|flashback to the accident
|flashback while driving
|flashback to school days
Themes
mind
|memory
|storytelling
Examples
- I flashback to that conversation whenever I pass the café.
- During the lecture, he flashbacked to his first day at work and lost track of the room.
- The novel flashbacks to earlier chapters to fill in missing details.
Learner examples
- I flashback to my old school sometimes.
Grammar
Dictionary form
flashback
IPA
GB/flˈæʃbˌæk/
US/flˈæʃbˌæk/
Syllables & stress
flash - back (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (flash)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: flashback
- Plural: flashbacks
Word family
Forms
flashbacks
noun
Core family
flash
verb A2
Related words
flashy
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unflashy
adjective
Expressions
a flashback to [time/decade]
1/ə flˈæʃbˌæk tə tˈaɪmaɪdɪkˈeɪd/
fixed phrase
informal
strong reminder of a period
something that feels like an earlier time
Examples
- The arcade is a flashback to the 80s.
- That ringtone is a flashback to my old flip phone.
- The décor is a flashback to the 1970s.
flash back
1/flˈæʃ bˈæk/
phrasal verb
return to a past memory
to suddenly remember the past
Examples
- When I heard the siren, I flashed back to the accident.
- The story flashes back to their childhood in chapter three.
- He kept flashing back to what she had said.
have a flashback
1/hˈæv ə flˈæʃbˌæk/
fixed phrase
experience a sudden vivid memory
to suddenly remember something strongly
Examples
- I had a flashback to our trip when I smelled the ocean air.
- He had a flashback and suddenly felt panicked.
- She sometimes has flashbacks when she’s under stress.
in flashback
1/ˈɪn flˈæʃbˌæk/
fixed phrase
shown as past in a story
shown as something that happened earlier
Examples
- Her backstory is revealed in flashback.
- The opening is shown in flashback from his point of view.
- We see the argument again in flashback later in the film.
trigger a flashback
1/tɹˈɪɡɚ ə flˈæʃbˌæk/
fixed phrase
cause a flashback
to make someone have a sudden strong memory
Examples
- Loud bangs can trigger a flashback for him.
- The smell of smoke triggered a flashback to the fire.
- Certain questions may trigger flashbacks during therapy.