flare (up) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of flare (up)next
1
as in to anger
to become very angry naturally I flared up when he insulted me

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to erupt
to develop suddenly and violently my allergies always flare up in the spring

Synonyms & Similar Words

flare-up

2 of 2

noun

ˈfler-ˌəp How to pronounce flare-up (audio)
1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity took medication to prevent a flare-up of her asthma

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling there's no need for an angry flare-up, as we'll take care of the problem immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flare (up)
Noun
Jaden Greathouse made it through camp without a flare-up of his recurring hamstring injuries. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 Know your treatment options Plain dandruff and a more inflamed seborrheic dermatitis flare-up aren’t always easy to tell apart on your own, but the timeline is a good clue. — Ayren Jackson-Cannady, Allure, 20 Aug. 2026 After multiple flare-ups and suggestions of an imminent accord, there do not appear to be any concrete plans to end the 24-week war. — August 17, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 Dermatologist Toral Vaidya of MDCS Dermatology in New York told HuffPost that consistent exposure to dry air can dehydrate your skin, worsen sensitivity and trigger flare-ups of underlying conditions like eczema. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flare (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flare (up)
  1. anger
  2. erupt
  3. flurry
  4. explosion
  5. snarl
  6. explode
  7. burst
  8. outburst
Verb
  • Sánchez is facing mounting scrutiny amid a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Ceuta, where the flood of thousands of migrants has angered residents in the tiny community, which is ill-equipped to handle such an influx.
    — Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Prosecutors argued Monday that Kading’s disclosures angered Davis.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of anger
Verb
  • One person was killed and at least 14 others were injured after gunfire erupted at a large gathering at a park on Chicago's South Side while police were attempting to disperse the crowd, authorities said.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • But weeks later, Miller, like the rest of us, watched from afar as Kabul fell and chaos erupted.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of erupt
Noun
  • The Miami Herald spoke with four Cubans and one Brazilian man who were sent as part of a flurry of deportation flights across Africa in August.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Ahead of the official start of the US Open, a flurry of fetes took place across New York City.
    — Paul Chi, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of flurry
Noun
  • That has led to an explosion in interest in the annual Pacific leaders meeting, which has grown from a casual affair to a summit with 2,000 attendees.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • More messages arrived over Discord, X, WhatsApp, and even from a colleague who had been asked by a friend to see whether Fabian would correct his story to say that the explosion had been caused by interceptor fragments.
    — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of explosion
Verb
  • All lanes of Interstate 80 near Sierra College Boulevard in the Loomis area reopened Wednesday morning after a fiery crash shut down westbound traffic and snarled the morning commute.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The ensuing traffic jam sent reverberations far and wide and snarled thousands of people.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of snarl
Verb
  • That explodes into action in one startlingly seedy scene involving a rape in full view of revelers at a hotel party.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026
  • That was the moment a suicide bomb exploded just outside Abbey Gate on August 26th, killing 13 American service members and more than 160 Afghan civilians.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of explode
Noun
  • These are short, all-out bursts of exercise performed at an intensity higher than your maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max).
    — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Inflation eased in June and July, but a burst of on-again, off-again fighting in recent weeks caused crude prices to rise again.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of burst
Noun
  • There was a sense that only significant deals could stave off the double threat of the Austrian’s outbursts over transfers destabilising the team midway through the campaign and Palace tumbling into a relegation battle.
    — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • According to Marco Tedesco, a geophysicist at Columbia University, the task of developing early warning systems for landslides, glacier collapse events and glacial outburst floods requires sustained effort.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of outburst

Browse Nearby Words

flares (up)
flare (up)
flare-up
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Cite this Entry

“Flare (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flare%20%28up%29. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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