flare-ups

noun

plural of flare-up
1
as in flurries
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity took medication to prevent a flare-up of her asthma

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in explosions
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling there's no need for an angry flare-up, as we'll take care of the problem immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of flare-ups There have been verbal flare-ups in previous meetings between Medvedev and Tsitsipas down the years, including in the Australian Open semifinals in 2022. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Flames could be seen coming from the third floor and through the roof, with flare-ups around a grill atop the roof. — Joe Brandt, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 Over the decades, as Shakur’s stature grew and evolved, there were flare-ups of media interest and theories but no conclusions or arrests. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 The sun’s intense flare-ups had put the telescope on a downward spiral faster than engineers anticipated. — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026 The sun's intense flare-ups had put the telescope on a downward spiral faster than engineers anticipated. — Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026 Since the staging area for firefighters, utility workers, national guard, and police was next to our house, for the next few days firefighters were able to put out flare-ups in and around our backyard. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026 Air fresheners, perfumes, cleaning supplies and paint spark allergy flare-ups that can last for 10 days. — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026 And the price of oil breached the $100 threshold, for the first time in months, as the new flare-ups stoked fresh concern for global energy markets. — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flare-ups
  1. flurries
  2. explosions
  3. outbreaks
  4. outbursts
  5. bursts
  6. eruptions
  7. flares
  8. flashes
Noun
  • The flurries of pigment inside them were dispersed by bursts of air delivered through the base of the box.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Macaday said some higher elevations in California have already seen flurries over the past month and a half.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of flurries
Noun
  • The explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which was Russia's main natural gas supply route to Germany until Moscow cut off supplies in August 2022.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Russia’s ballistic missiles can reach Kyiv in just minutes, leaving little time to respond; in some recent attacks, air raid sirens sounded at the same time as the first explosions.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • The outbreak has surpassed Congo's 16 previous outbreaks in scale and is on track to top the 2014-2016 West Africa regional outbreak that killed 11,000 people.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Over the past two years, nine states have experienced outbreaks that regulators have linked to raw dairy.
    — Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of outbreaks
Noun
  • The cause of their displeasure has to do with scenes woven throughout that illustrate how Baldwin got his reputation for angry outbursts – confrontations with paparazzi through the years, for instance.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
  • As a result, military children and teenagers may experience social withdrawal, angry outbursts and mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.
    — Nikki R Wooten, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of outbursts
Noun
  • Cue the lovelorn weeping in the rain set to composer Roger Goula’s supple string score, and before us, a sweeping love epic bursts alive with real pain.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The machine generated about a dozen or so graphs, marked by human figures and bursts of colors that denoted energy fields, broken down by organ—and even tooth.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of bursts
Noun
  • Xu Fu and Ma Junsheng also play surrogate dads to Seif, whose increasingly violent eruptions threaten to change the course of his life more than once.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • As of last month, 52 additional fountain eruptions had occurred, the most violent of which spewed lava over 400 meters into the air.
    — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • Two officers were seated inside a Dodge Charger patrol car when the Tesla, driven by a 22-year-old Sacramento man, passed through a pattern of flares and traffic cones and struck their vehicle, the CHP said.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
  • L’Agence showed a wide sweep of jean fits from wide-leg and skinny flares to culottes.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of flares
Noun
  • Dabrowski sees its appeal as an aesthetic rather than simply a trend, pointing to the scarves, flashes of colors, especially red, and distinctly Parisian styling.
    — Alex Badia, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • This team shows some really good flashes of doing a lot of good things.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of flashes

Browse Nearby Words

flare-up
flare-ups
flaring
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Cite this Entry

“Flare-ups.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flare-ups. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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