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 Black-and-white news footage shows volunteer firefighters swatting flames with tree branches and dousing flare-ups with flower-pot watering cans. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Crews from across Texas are continuing to work alongside local firefighters to strengthen containment lines and prevent flare-ups. — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 After multiple flare-ups and suggestions of an imminent accord, there do not appear to be any concrete plans to end the 24-week war. — August 17, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 Dermatologist Toral Vaidya of MDCS Dermatology in New York told HuffPost that consistent exposure to dry air can dehydrate your skin, worsen sensitivity and trigger flare-ups of underlying conditions like eczema. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Teams have been working to prevent flare-ups on the ground and with aerial operations, Nugraha said. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026 Both helped, but azithromycin was slightly better at preventing more flare-ups. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 11 Aug. 2026 Geopolitical flare-ups in the Middle East are disrupting supply chains. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026 Authorities reported only ⁠minor flare-ups in the southwestern Gironde area and said the blaze in the southeastern Var department had not spread overnight. — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Aug. 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
  • Our arrival in the Madawaska River country of eastern Ontario, near Combermere, was noteworthy only for the snow flurries and marrow-chilling gales that howled down from Hudson Bay to greet us.
    — HARRY H. EDEL, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The past 14 years have included some flurries of diplomatic contact between Iran and the West.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Definition of flurries
Noun
  • The clever premise provides the opportunity for plenty of high-octane action sequences, including fistfights, shootouts, explosions and car chases, with the hapless Ben providing comic relief from Hank’s Terminator-like indestructibility.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Several heavy explosions shook Kuhestak, with fireballs that lighted up the night sky, according to security camera recordings carried by the semiofficial news agency Fars.
    — David Rising, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of explosions
Noun
  • The pediatric outbreaks that get flagged don't reflect the true gravity of the HIV crisis, public health experts warn.
    — Betsy Joles, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The birds face mounting threats, including entanglement in fishing nets, plastic pollution, disease outbreaks and competition with fisheries for food.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of outbreaks
Noun
  • The 36-year-old Hubble also is dropping in orbit because of the sun’s recent outbursts.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • He was accused of two other antisemitic outbursts and was eventually convicted in France on hate-speech charges.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of outbursts
Noun
  • The former is meant to image extremely wide sections of the cosmos to capture tons of fleeting phenomena that are hard to catch — things like supernovas, fast radio bursts and maybe even colliding neutron stars.
    — Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • At night, the lighting turns the wings into a moving field of color while bursts of fire give the dragon the kind of oversized entrance Burning Man was made for.
    — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of bursts
Noun
  • Seeing the Braves compete in this series with the Dodgers, from the walk-off win to the ace performances to the timely snags to Truist Park’s eruptions, hearkened back memories of October 2021.
    — Gabriel Burns, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Mann said that the study doesn't have a complete record of corals over the past 1,000 years, and also that his research has shown that volcanic eruptions have played more of a role than climate change in past El Niño events.
    — Doyle Rice, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of eruptions
Noun
  • Antimony strengthens ammunition and armor and supports military technologies, including night-vision systems and flares.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • They are classified from A to X, with M-class flares ranking as the second-strongest category.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of flares
Noun
  • Peak foliage in the Rangeley Lakes region more often occurs during the last week of September into the first week of October, but the cooler temperatures, quiet lakes, and first flashes of color arrive sooner.
    — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • On the field, both teams showed flashes of talent, made big plays and had a chance to win at the end.
    — Austin Horn August 29, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 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 5 Sep. 2026.

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