flare 1 of 2

noun

ˈfler How to pronounce flare (audio)
Definition of flarenext
1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity a flare in gift card sales around graduation time

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in burst
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling ended the quarrel with a stunning flare of swearwords

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3
as in glow
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

flare

2 of 2

verb

as in to glow
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 flare
Noun
The lens does a very good job controlling flare against a backlight, a strong point in its favor for portraits. — PCMAG, 5 Mar. 2025 But watch those eyes widen when suddenly there’s a test of guts and his meanness flares again. — Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025
Verb
Miley Cyrus wore high-heel boots beneath flared jeans as the star took in the grandeur of the stage design before rehearsing her bit. — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2025 The Prince George fire flared up in an area where firefighters were conducting a prescribed or controlled burn earlier this week near the Arcadia Plantation, according to Jackie Broach, a spokesperson for Georgetown County. — Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flare
  1. flurry
  2. burst
  3. glow
  4. burn
  5. outburst
  6. explosion
  7. glare
  8. flame
Noun
  • Tariffs and whipsaw trade policy Trump has issued a flurry of tariff orders and nearly as many retreats from those orders.
    — Tobias Burns, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Assuming agreement is reached soon on a unified approach, its passage should kickstart a flurry of budget activity.
    — Doug Criscitello, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of flurry
Noun
  • Instead of using stress as a momentary burst of energy to handle a challenge, your nervous system stays trapped in a hypervigilant state, constantly preparing for the next emotional shift.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The second half opened with another Cathedral scoring burst, extending the lead in the first minute-and-a-half of the third to 18 following a three by Allen-Paisley.
    — Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
Definition of burst
Noun
  • Working with Anomalisa cinematographer Joe Passarelli, Johnson casts Paul’s experiences in a beguiling and ephemeral glow.
    — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Her dewy glow didn’t just come from the tears shed after her win, but from the careful skin prep that laid the foundation.
    — Tiana Randall, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of glow
Verb
  • The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.
    — Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
  • The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.
    — Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Definition of burn
Noun
  • This is all happening as severe storm system is forecast to move through the central and southern parts of the nation late this week in a multi-day outburst with strong tornadoes, hail and damaging winds expected.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2025
  • This is all happening as a severe storm system is forecast to move through the central and southern parts of the country late this week in a multiday outburst with tornadoes, hail and damaging winds expected.
    — Seth Borenstein, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of outburst
Noun
  • In addition to Tesla’s troubles, Musk’s social network X experienced several outages throughout the day on Monday, and his aerospace and defense company SpaceX is investigating two explosions in a row that occurred during test flights of its massive Starship rocket.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Crew abandoned the vessel following multiple explosions onboard but all are safe and accounted for.
    — William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of explosion
Noun
  • Jacob-Jenkins has penned Naz as an asexual introvert, the kind of young man who finds solace in nature and lakes and everything that takes him far away from either his father’s infidelity or the glare of political attention.
    — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Overhangs and sun-shading louvers outside of the kitchen and family room control glare without blocking the views to Lake Michigan below.
    — Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of glare
Verb
  • The Associated Press Nearly two months after an explosion sent flaming debris raining down on the Turks and Caicos, SpaceX launched another mammoth Starship rocket on Thursday, but lost contact minutes into the test flight as the spacecraft came tumbling down and broke apart.
    — arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Three minutes after that, the rocket's self-destruct system triggered an explosion that broke the Starship apart, producing a spectacular shower of flaming debris that rained down along the flight path.
    — William Harwood, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of flame

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Cite this Entry

“Flare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flare. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on flare

Nglish: Translation of flare for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flare

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