1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a flare in gift card sales around graduation time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in burst
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
ended the quarrel with a stunning flare of swearwords
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in glow
the steady giving off of the form of radiation that makes vision possible
in the darkness the flare of a single match might be seen by enemy troops
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to glow
to shine with a bright harsh light
floodlights flaring into the forbidding empty spaces surrounding the prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of flare
Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 27 July 2025
Also known as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), people with the condition regularly face these flares and don’t even know what’s causing them in the first place.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 23 July 2025
Charlie Campbell, Time, 25 July 2025
The squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody military clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for flare
Noun
Footage from the outlet shows flares being shot into the sky as first responders scope out the scene.
—Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 27 July 2025
Also known as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), people with the condition regularly face these flares and don’t even know what’s causing them in the first place.
—Korin Miller, Flow Space, 23 July 2025
Verb
When border tensions first flared up last month, Thailand’s then-Prime Minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, called up Cambodia’s 72-year-old former strongman Hun Sen—Hun Manet’s father—to soothe tensions.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 25 July 2025
The squabble has dragged on for decades, flaring into bloody military clashes more than 15 years ago and again in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a firefight.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for flare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flare
Noun
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The exec’s comments came after the company made a flurry of ESPN announcements, including a landmark deal with the NFL to swap equity for control of NFL Media assets.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
6 Aug. 2025
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Since most of the agency’s old guard departed in a flurry of resignations more than a year ago, SANDAG’s new leaders have moved to make many of the outstanding reforms called for by auditors, a new report finds.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Love planet Venus will enter Leo on Aug. 25, adding a dazzling burst of glamour and passion, followed by harmonious aspects to Saturn, Uranus and Neptune on Aug. 25 and 26, making romantic themes equally grounding and liberating.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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And all of this came during a sustained burst of fiction writing that Woolf—whose work had been derailed by mental breakdowns and spells of illness—relished.—
Hillary Kelly,
The Atlantic,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The typical galaxy in that sample is 100 times fainter than the natural glow in the nighttime air in the Earth's atmosphere, so this Rubin Observatory program depends on near-total natural darkness.—
Richard Green,
Space.com,
10 Aug. 2025
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For an entire week, the flashing blue and red lights of police vehicles cast eerie glows inside residents’ homes, while helicopters and drones hummed relentlessly overhead.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
10 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.—
Carole Horst,
Variety,
13 Sep. 2023
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.—
Neeti Mehra,
Treehugger,
13 Sep. 2023
Noun
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Glacial outburst floods have killed more than 12,000 people worldwide, according to estimates in the journal Global and Planetary Change.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
14 Aug. 2025
-
This was no isolated outburst, but part of a broader effort to delegitimize conservative participation in academic life.—
Ilya Shapiro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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There's also been an explosion of machine identities, known as non-human identities (NHIs), that enterprises have to contend with.—
TK Keanini,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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The rapper and actor, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, was subpoenaed by federal prosecutors and was required to testify against the Bad Boy Records founder in regards to a home invasion and car explosion allegedly linked to Combs.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Anyone who has watched Pivetta stalk and stomp and gesticulate and glare and snap his glove to catch a throw from the catcher after a bad call and shout after an inning-ending out can easily surmise how much Pivetta’s intensity is part of his game.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
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Each railcar includes access to open-air vestibules, giving guests a chance to breathe in fresh air and snap postcard-perfect photos without obstruction or glare.—
Susmita Baral,
Travel + Leisure,
31 July 2025
Verb
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But translated into presidential pictures, the ballroom is actually one and a third football fields, 15 flaming Hindenburgs, or alternatively, three Trump Tower apartments based on their property fraud size.—
Pat Beall,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Aug. 2025
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The flaming parachutes burnt up in 2.3 to three seconds each take, so Cruise had to think fast — 16 times in a row.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flare. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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