flare-up

noun

1
: a sudden outburst or intensification
a flare-up of hostilities
2
: a sudden bursting (as of a smoldering fire) into flame or light
a danger of flare-ups
3
: a sudden appearance or worsening of the symptoms of a disease or condition
an asthmatic flare-up

Examples of flare-up in a Sentence

took medication to prevent a flare-up of her asthma there's no need for an angry flare-up, as we'll take care of the problem immediately
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
This filtration system ensures that your floors are getting their most thorough clean, while also ridding your space of irritants like dust that can cause allergy flare-ups. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 3 Sep. 2025 Near the Teakettle Experimental Forest, heavier fuels in flatter terrain will continue to smolder with occasional flare-ups. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025 The shoot was impacted nonetheless by a flare-up in tensions between Iran and Israel – after the latter killed a number of top military officials in an airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April 2024. Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025 Pearce has been living with the heart condition for nearly five years and has been experiencing flare-ups since 2020. Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flare-up

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of flare-up was in 1839

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Cite this Entry

“Flare-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flare-up. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

flare-up

noun
ˈfla(ə)r-ˌəp,
ˈfle(ə)r-
: a sudden burst (as of flame or anger)

Medical Definition

flare-up

noun
: a sudden appearance or worsening of the symptoms of a disease or condition
an asthmatic flare-up
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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