FLARES Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

flares 1 of 2

noun

Definition of flares next

plural of flare

as in bursts

a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity a flare in gift card sales around graduation time

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in explosions

a sudden intense expression of strong feeling ended the quarrel with a stunning flare of swearwords

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as in glows

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

flares

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of flare

as in burns

to shine with a bright harsh light floodlights flaring into the forbidding empty spaces surrounding the prison

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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 flares

Noun

The trio of flares that left the sun a couple of days ago were each expelled from the star at slightly different angles, all within a 24-hour period, according to the National Weather Service's Space Weather Prediction Center. —

Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 4 June 2026 Police were pelted with chairs, cans, rocks and flares late Tuesday by some of the hundreds who attended a protest in the southern English coast city of Southampton, where Henry Nowak was killed in December. —

ABC News, 3 June 2026 His death comes as scores of Palestinian laborers have been killed or arrested trying to enter Israel, and as violence flares in Gaza and the West Bank despite a fragile ceasefire. —

Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026 Hooliganism, at first observed in British fans, has intensified since the 1960s, and numerous matches have been canceled because of fans invading the pitch, lobbing fireworks, and setting off flares. —

Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 June 2026 So, shop some more fun, funky flares from Frame, NYDJ, and Mavi below. —

Eva Thomas, InStyle, 1 June 2026 Large crowds gathered near the Arc de Triomphe after the match, with some fans setting off flares and blaring car horns, according to reports from The Associated Press. —

Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026 After Gabriel’s miss ensured PSG won their second Champions League title in as many years, thousands of people took to the streets of Paris in celebration with flares, flags and starting fires. —

Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 31 May 2026 How do the electromagnetic radiation bursts known as flares decide to erupt? —

Quanta Magazine, 28 May 2026

Verb

Those that do see a storm will likely see them in the late afternoon and early evening, anything that flares up will fizzle out after dark. —

Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 17 May 2026 Your dark humor flares on occasion. —

Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026 The sleeveless design features a flattering smocked waist that flares out into a relaxed, flowy skirt, creating an elegant silhouette. —

Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 4 May 2026 At the same time, flares themselves are stressful, creating a vicious cycle in which symptoms and emotional distress feed into each other. —

Mark Marino, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026 Within any chimp group, violence flares occasionally — but it is usually dampened by long friendships. —

Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Apr. 2026 But then, in April 2019, his illness flares. —

Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026 There’s a funny reason why the pain flares in your upper face and forehead, a bit of a distance from the area responsible for the cold. —

Julia Daye, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2026 The rear light flares bright when braking to add visibility for trailing riders and drivers. —

Erica Zazo, Outside, 27 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flares

Noun

The device does not try to impress in short bursts.

— William Jones, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Most radio-producing objects release bursts that last for mere seconds or less, but long-period radio transients, about a dozen of which are known, produce radio waves in bursts lasting from minutes to over an hour.

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 2 June 2026