1
as in bursts
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 explosions
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
ended the quarrel with a stunning flare of swearwords
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in burns
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 flares
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
25 June 2026
The event was cut short on Tuesday night, with organizers intervening due to the use of fireworks and smoke flares.
—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
After several unanswered attempts to contact the yacht’s crew via radio, the vessel stayed its course and the Russian crew launched signal flares to get the vessel’s attention, according to the defense ministry.
—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Answering that question will require analyzing many more flares — a challenge made difficult by the scarcity of suitable observations.
—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
Revelers set off of flares and fireworks, climbed up street poles and onto buses, and danced in streets into the wee hours of morning.
—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Some protesters fired flares toward officers or tore up chunks of asphalt and chucked them toward police in shields and riot gear.
—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
The horses in the unit have been training for the assignment by being exposed to loud noises including fireworks, as well as flares and smoke bombs.
—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
10 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
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Cleary asks people to pay attention to which feelings keep surfacing and when—anger that flares every evening, say, or loneliness that creeps in at night.
—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
10 June 2026
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
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
Noun
And, in a number of cases, researchers have found evidence that this is happening, with one case of an extremely young star emitting flares seemingly in response to the orbit of its innermost planet.
—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
25 June 2026
The event was cut short on Tuesday night, with organizers intervening due to the use of fireworks and smoke flares.
—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
After several unanswered attempts to contact the yacht’s crew via radio, the vessel stayed its course and the Russian crew launched signal flares to get the vessel’s attention, according to the defense ministry.
—
Hira Humayun,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
Answering that question will require analyzing many more flares — a challenge made difficult by the scarcity of suitable observations.
—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
15 June 2026
Revelers set off of flares and fireworks, climbed up street poles and onto buses, and danced in streets into the wee hours of morning.
—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2026
Some protesters fired flares toward officers or tore up chunks of asphalt and chucked them toward police in shields and riot gear.
—
Jamey Keaten,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
The horses in the unit have been training for the assignment by being exposed to loud noises including fireworks, as well as flares and smoke bombs.
—
Jesse Sarles,
CBS News,
10 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
Verb
Designed to enhance your natural shape, these jeans boast a snug fit through the hips and thighs that flares out into a modest wide-leg finish.
—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Cleary asks people to pay attention to which feelings keep surfacing and when—anger that flares every evening, say, or loneliness that creeps in at night.
—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
10 June 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flares
Noun
-
Focaccia bursts with the flavors of a Chicago hot dog.
-
The presence of this ultraviolet light, and the star-forming history of the cluster producing it, suggests that bursts of star formation contributed to waves of ionizing radiation that gradually cleared out the opaque neutral hydrogen.
Noun
-
Another toxic chemical crisis A massive fire at a Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse triggered an ammonia leak, explosions and shelter-in-place orders across Eastside neighborhoods.
-
Moscow’s mayor said air defenses shot down nearly 200 drones, as videos circulating on social media showed explosions and smoke billowing across the Russian capital.
Noun
-
The unusual auroras were photographed over Hokkaido, Japan, where observers captured diffuse red glows hanging low over the horizon.
-
Come evening, the pizza oven glows or a local farm-to-table chef cooks as the light fades.
Verb
-
Kishnani’s now 48 but the exclusion still burns.
-
Destined only to be savoured as a dream, while the world still burns around you.
Noun
-
Even then, there are flurries of intense activity.
-
The players rotated quickly, setting flurries of picks and cutting, creating space by driving to the basket, stretching the defense to the point of breaking, and then flinging the ball to the open man in the corner.
Noun
-
There have been intermittent outbursts of violence against immigrants since then.
-
Police said Poirier continued making verbal outbursts and took an aggressive stance toward officers.
Noun
-
Fortunately, the emotional spar fest between the queen of withering glares and snippy comments — award winner Allison Janney — and the onstage king of stammering self involvement — Andrew Rannells — clicks in director/writer Jim Rash dramedy debut.
-
The shooter tamed the sun’s glares while ensuring the deep-red gazebo popped against the lush green park.
Verb
-
Then Jaimoe pauses, flashes a quick, playful grin, and rolls his right pant leg up to his knee.
-
Is Whalefall largely a dual narrative that flashes between the innards of a whale and the father-son relationship?
Cite this Entry
“Flares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flares. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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