Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

flare-up

British  

noun

  1. a sudden burst of fire or light

  2. informal a sudden burst of emotion or violence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to burst suddenly into fire or light

  2. informal to burst into anger

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
flare up Idioms  

  1. Suddenly become angry, as in She flared up at the slightest provocation. This metaphoric expression, dating from the mid-1800s, transfers a sudden burst of flame to sudden rage.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The last serious flare-up was in October, after which a fragile ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Qatar was reached.

From BBC

In the latest flare-up, the X account of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mexican authorities said Monday they had deployed thousands of soldiers in the country’s west to restore calm and prevent a flare-up in violence.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some policymakers see a chance that the bank may have to accelerate the pace of tightening if rapid yen weakening risks a further flare-up in import-led inflation, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the current flare-up is different than those that rattled markets in 2025.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.