Main Entry: ¹flare

Pronunciation: \ˈfler\

Function: noun

Etymology: origin unknown

Date: 1580

1 a : a fire or blaze of light used especially to signal, illuminate, or attract attention; also : a device or composition used to produce such a flare
2 : an unsteady glaring light b : solar flare; also : a sudden increase and decrease in the brightness of a star often amounting to a difference of several magnitudes
3 a : a sudden outburst (as of excitement or anger) b : flare-up 3
4 a : a spreading outward; also : a place or part that spreads b : an area of skin flush
5 : light resulting from reflection (as between lens surfaces) or an effect of this light (as a fogged or dense area in a photographic negative)
6 a : a short pass in football thrown to a back who is running toward the sideline b : a weakly hit fly ball in baseball <a flare into short right field>
7 plural : pants that flare toward the bottom