# flashback

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈflæʃ.bæk/ · frequency rank #15,613

## Definitions
1. A dramatic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological flow of a narrative.
2. A vivid mental image of a past trauma or other sensation that the trauma is happening in the present, especially one that recurs.
3. A similar recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug.
4. The condition of the flame propagating down the hose of an oxy-fuel welding system.
5. A query that operates against data from an earlier time, before it was changed.

## Etymology
From flash + back.

## Common misspellings (15)
`falshback`, `fflashback`, `flahsback`, `flasbhack`, `flashabck`, `flashbacck`, `flashbackk`, `flashbakc`, `flashbback`, `flashbcak`, `flashhback`, `flasshback`, `fllashback`, `flsahback`, `lfashback`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/flashback