1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a flare in gift card sales around graduation time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Videos obtained by the Associated Press show cars and homes set ablaze as army flares lighted up the sky near the village east of Nablus and next to the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Public resistance flared after the cataclysmic 1986 Chernobyl and 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdowns.
—ABC News, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flare
Noun
By then the oil companies, mindful of the world’s disapproving eyes, had positioned the gas flares among the vegetation and pointed the flames horizontally to limit their visibility from a distance.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Videos obtained by the Associated Press show cars and homes set ablaze as army flares lighted up the sky near the village east of Nablus and next to the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh.
—Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Tensions between China and Japan flared further this week after a Japanese army officer was accused of breaking into the Chinese embassy in Tokyo.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026
Public resistance flared after the cataclysmic 1986 Chernobyl and 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdowns.
—ABC News, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flare
Noun
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Golden State pulled away from there, keeping the pesky Wizards at bay with a flurry of 3-pointers and free throws.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
28 Mar. 2026
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In the franchise’s inaugural game on March 14 in San Jose, a flurry of impressive saves kept Denver in it until the final whistle, despite the club playing a woman down for most of the match after Janine Sonis was sent off in the 26th minute.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In that last year — like the end of a fireworks show — the lawyers set off a burst of filings and arguments over what evidence and which experts could go in front of a jury.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Such districts are often formed when a school district is experiencing a burst of development or enrollment growth concentrated in certain areas, explained Erica Gonzales, a managing director at the investment bank Stifel who specializes in California school financing.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Several years ago, the annual Ultra Music Festival moved into Bayside, introducing the waterfront green to electronica-loving fans in day-glow outfits.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
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Even one rainy or windy day can bring a swift end to the ephemeral light pink glow along the Tidal Basin and other sites throughout the city, jettisoning the petals altogether.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The analysis, released Friday by the California Department of Insurance and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, found that meeting wildfire safety standards for roughly 30,000 homes within the Eaton and Pacific Palisades burn areas would significantly cut average annual losses.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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Around 2,000 acres at Camp Ripley in north-central Minnesota have burned due to a wildfire that broke out in the area on Sunday, officials with the military training center said.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Risks are higher during periods of greater solar activity, which follows an 11-year cycle that researchers track by tallying the dark sunspots that represent magnetic storms capable of producing outbursts.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
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No one, not even Jason — who is baffled at the galley’s sudden collapse — is more surprised at Ellie’s outburst than Ben.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After an accidental explosion in a West Village bomb factory killed three Weathermen, those who survived, shaken by their friends’ deaths, swore off deadly violence.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Journalists heard several explosions from the direction of the Hezbollah stronghold, which Israel has repeatedly struck since war began.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Its glare-free screen also helps keep reflections away so you won't be distracted.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
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But their strategy was fouled up when the car’s occupants switched on the headlights, throwing a glare up the tote road along which the wardens had planned to sprint.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There’s an incredible sequence where Zazie Beetz’s character fights cultists with a flaming axe.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
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There, Kurds gather to light flaming torches at sunset, carrying them up the mountainside to symbolize light defeating darkness.—
March 25,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flare. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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