flare

1 of 2

noun

ˈfler 

1

: 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

The airport set flares to guide the landing plane at night.

2

a

: 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 (see magnitude sense 3)

3

a

: a sudden outburst (as of excitement or anger)

a flare of tempers in the courtroom

b

: flare-up sense 3

a flare of disease

4

a

: a spreading outward

also : a place or part that spreads

b

: an area of skin flush

a flare of reddened skin

5

: light resulting from reflection (as between lens surfaces) or an effect of this light (such 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

flares plural : pants that flare toward the bottom

flare

2 of 2

verb

flared; flaring

intransitive verb

1

a

: to burn with an unsteady flame

b

: to stream in the wind

2

a

: to shine with a sudden light

a match flares in the darkness

b(1)

: to become suddenly excited or angry

—usually used with up

(2)

: to break out or intensify usually suddenly or violently

—often used with up

c

: to express strong emotion (such as anger)

3

: to open or spread outward

the pants flare at the bottom

transitive verb

1

: to display conspicuously

flaring her scarf to attract attention

2

: to cause to flare

the breeze flares the candle

3

: to signal with a flare or by flaring

4

: to burn (a jet of waste gas) in the open air

Synonyms

Noun

• burst
• flare-up
• flash
• flicker
• flurry
• flutter
• outbreak
• outburst
• spurt

Verb

• beat
• blaze
• burn
• flame
• glare

Examples of flare in a Sentence

Noun

the sudden flare of the match

When the crew saw flares, they knew the other ship was in trouble.

Verb

pants that flare at the bottom

The bull flared its nostrils.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Vaccine debate flares — again Lawmakers are also split over the return of Rep. Steve Montenegro's bill that would bar the state health department from requiring vaccines that do not have full FDA approval for school attendance. —Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2024

But research has found that inflammation triggers flares of eczema symptoms. —Andrea Stanley, Health, 4 Mar. 2024

One review found that probiotics may protect against UC flares, but more studies are needed. —Amanda MacMillan, Health, 24 Mar. 2024

Blending flares of imaginative theatricality, surreal farce, and deep tenderness, this beautiful rollercoaster ride reveals timeless truths of love, family, and forgiveness. —Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024

In one video, taken by Movistar+ journalist Marta Garrido, fans with flares can be seen apparently trying to break down the fence outside the San Mamés stadium. —Matias Grez, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024

As the epicentre of enjoyment, the bar is a top destination for those looking for a taste of European flare. —Sandra MacGregor, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024

End of carousel On Saturday, protesters fired flares in the air and demanded Netanyahu step down. —Heidi Levine, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024

Chase Keeton followed with a flare to right field to give the Cowboys their first lead of the weekend. —Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 11 Mar. 2024

Verb

But if a wildfire akin to the Great Fire of 1910 — which burned 3 million acres of land across Idaho and Montana — were to flare up, Breidenbach thinks the damage could be catastrophic. —Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 9 Apr. 2024

During an eclipse, that makes for a perfect fit, with the moon obscuring the entire body of the sun, while allowing the solar fires to flare out on all sides. —Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024

The timing looks to be after the historic total solar eclipse, with storms likely flaring up during the late afternoon and continuing into the evening and overnight. —Daniel Amarante, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2024

Between 2010 and 2020, total volumes of natural gas lost to venting and flaring on federal and tribal lands averaged about 44.2 billion cubic feet per year — enough to serve roughly 675,000 homes, the Interior said. —Matthew Daly, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024

Generally, allergies follow a seasonal pattern and flare up at certain times of the year. —Katia Hetter, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024

Then, on June 29, 2020, the Indian government banned TikTok, along with 58 other Chinese apps, after a simmering conflict between India and China flared into violence at their border. —Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024

Another condition called oral allergy syndrome (OAS) can flare during springtime allergy season, Mendez added. —Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 25 Mar. 2024

Bed linens sailing the wind, curtains flaring beyond the windscreens, lilacs soon to lie on the ground. —Carolyn Forché, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1580, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1616, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing flare

• flare-up
• solar flare
• tempers flare

Kids Definition

flare

1 of 2 noun

ˈfla(ə)r 

ˈfle(ə)r

1

: a fire or blaze of light used to signal, light up something, or attract attention

also : a device or material that produces such a flare

2

: an unsteady glaring light

3

: flare-up

4

: a spreading outward

also : a place or part that spreads

5

plural : bell-bottom trousers

flare

2 of 2 verb

flared; flaring

1

: to burn with an unsteady flame

2

a

: to shine or blaze suddenly

b

: to become suddenly excited or angry

flare up

3

: to open or spread outward

pants that flare at the bottom

Medical Definition

flare

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈfla(ə)r, ˈfle(ə)r 

flared; flaring

: to break out or intensify rapidly : become suddenly worse or more painful

—often used with up

your gallstones flare up

—W. A. Nolen

flare

2 of 2 noun

1

: flare-up

Without effective urate lowering, many such patients progress to severe chronic gout characterized by frequent arthritic flares …

—John S. Sundy et al., The Journal of the American Medical Association

2

: an area of skin flush resulting from and spreading out from a local center of vascular dilation and hyperemia

urticarial flare

3

: a cloudy or smoky appearance of the fluid of the anterior chamber of the eye that is seen when a beam of light (as from a slit lamp) is passed through it and that is caused by the presence of floating protein material in the fluid which is a symptom of inflammation

Flare means that we can actually see the beam of light from the slit lamp traveling through the aqueous humor. This is similar to being able to see the beam of light coming from a movie projector in a dusty room.

—Jay B. Lavine, The Eye Care Sourcebook

called also aqueous flare