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 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 Crews continue responding to new flare-ups across North Texas, and Turner said the region could remain active through the end of September and into early October. — Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 Fires within the debris pile burned through the end of December 2001 with flare-ups in 2002. — ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026 Oil prices have been on a rollercoaster this year, oscillating as traders react to flare-ups in fighting and monitor oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 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 shoot involved firing blanks and igniting explosions, theatrics that shocked the film’s residential neighbors and spurred concerns over public safety.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • As the car drives on while dodging a series of explosions, a seemingly endless number of terrorists armed with automatic weapons shoot at it to no avail.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 7 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
  • Michael Douglas was subject to violent and angry outbursts as well.
    — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There was no notice to staff that swings in blood sugar levels can cause the kind of emotional distress and behavioral outbursts that got Christian in trouble.
    — Joseph Shapiro, NPR, 30 Sep. 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
  • If the incoming eruptions interact favorably with Earth's magnetic field, auroras could potentially reach much farther south than currently anticipated.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Volcanologists could use the technology to map internal magma chambers and lava tubes to help predict eruptions.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • L’Agence showed a wide sweep of jean fits from wide-leg and skinny flares to culottes.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In September, a Russian frigate off the coast of Denmark fired two flares at a Danish military helicopter, one of which came dangerously close to hitting the aircraft.
    — Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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