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• flare-up
  flare-up

  noun

  a sudden burst of fire or light
• flare up
  flare up

  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.

flare-up

British  

noun

1. a sudden burst of fire or light

2. informal a sudden burst of emotion or violence

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verb

1. to burst suddenly into fire or light

2. informal to burst into anger

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.

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Example Sentences

The flare-up comes a day after Iran's foreign ministry had said it was considering a US proposal to end the war.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Then came the war with Iran and bond-market worries about soaring oil prices and an inflation flare-up.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

“The flare-up in tension is likely to halt any moves by ship owners to consider transiting the Strait,” analysts at ANZ said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Visa advanced 8.3% after the credit-card company topped earnings targets for its fiscal second quarter, as consumer spending held up despite worries that the Iran war would spark a flare-up in inflation.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

There has been a flare-up of malaria in Indonesia and Iran.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• blowup
• epidemic
• eruption
• explosion
• outburst