flare

[ flair ]

/ flɛər /

verb (used without object), flared, flar·ing.

to burn with an unsteady, swaying flame, as a torch or candle in the wind.

to blaze with a sudden burst of flame (often followed by up): The fire flared up as the paper caught.

to start up or burst out in sudden, fierce intensity or activity (often followed by up): His stomach problems have flared up.

to become suddenly enraged; express sudden, fierce anger or passion (usually followed by up or out): I’m not a person who flares easily. She sometimes flares out at the kids.

to shine or glow.

to spread gradually outward, as the end of a trumpet, the bottom of a wide skirt, or the sides of a ship.

verb (used with object), flared, flar·ing.

to cause (a candle, torch, etc.) to burn with a swaying flame.

to display conspicuously or ostentatiously.

to signal by flares of fire or light.

to cause (something) to spread gradually outward in form.

Metallurgy. to heat (a high-zinc brass) to such a high temperature that the zinc vapors begin to burn.

to discharge and burn (excess gas) at a well or refinery.

noun

a flaring or swaying flame or light, as of torches in the wind.

a sudden blaze or burst of flame.

a bright blaze of fire or light used as a signal, a means of illumination or guidance, etc.

a device or substance used to produce such a blaze of fire or light.

a sudden burst, as of zeal or of anger.

a gradual spread outward in form; outward curvature: the flare of a skirt.

something that spreads out.

Optics. light, often unwanted or extraneous, reaching the image plane of an optical instrument, as a camera, resulting from reflections, scattering by lenses, and the like.

Photography. a fogged appearance given to an image by reflection within a camera lens or within the camera itself.

Also called solar flare. Astronomy. a sudden and brief brightening of the solar atmosphere in the vicinity of a sunspot that results from an explosive release of particles and radiation.

Football. a short pass thrown to a back who is running toward a sideline and is not beyond the line of scrimmage.

Television. a dark area on a CRT picture tube caused by variations in light intensity.

Nearby words

flapper, flappers, flapping tremor, flappy, flaps, flare, flare path, flare star, flare up, flare, solar, flare-up

Origin of flare

1540–50; original meaning: spread out, said of hair, a ship's sides, etc.; compare Old English flǣre either of the spreading sides at the end of the nose

SYNONYMS FOR flare

1 flame.

2 erupt, explode, flash, blaze, flame.

14 flash.

Related forms

out·flare, verb (used with object), out·flared, out·flar·ing.un·flared, adjective

Can be confused

flair flare

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for flared

The (very wealthy) de la Renta women wore bold colors, flared sleeves, full-bodied skirts and trousers.
Fashion Designer Oscar de la Renta, American Great, Dead at 82|Tim Teeman|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A highlight was the lone feline gender-bender: a brown male Bengal wearing a flared party skirt.
Kitty CATure Fashion Show, An Amazing Dog and Cat Fashion Show, Happened In New York This Weekend|Lori-Lee Emshey|September 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This family conflict has flared on and off for the last two decades.
Nicaragua’s President Accused of Sex Abuse by His Stepdaughter|Mac Margolis|May 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Days after the controversy first flared, feelings about the ad were still raw in the evangelical community.
Melissa Harris-Perry and the Firestorm Over ‘Collective’ Parenting|David Freedlander|April 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Things that flew and things that blew, smoke and lights that flared, and lots and lots of history.
Olympics Opening-Ceremonies Review: Hats Off, Danny Boy|Simon Schama|July 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"Well, I'm not a beggar and I'm not hinting for your money," flared Beryl.
Red-Robin|Jane Abbott
On the floor was a slightly yellowed spot where the impressor had flared and vanished.
Instant of Decision|Gordon Randall Garrett
They flared through emptiness where the Mahon jet had been but now was not.
The Machine That Saved The World|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
So I flared up and said the guilty must be punished; that the law must take its course.
Missing at Marshlands|Cleo Garis
He could never have found the temerity to demand the information if the music had not flared with such dare-deviltry.
What Will People Say?|Rupert Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for flared

flare

/ (flɛə) /

verb

to burn or cause to burn with an unsteady or sudden bright flame

to spread or cause to spread outwards from a narrow to a wider shape

(tr) to make a conspicuous display of

to increase the temperature of (a molten metal or alloy) until a gaseous constituent of the melt burns with a characteristic flame or (of a molten metal or alloy) to show such a flame

(tr sometimes foll by off) (in the oil industry) to burn off (unwanted gas) at an oil well

noun

an unsteady flame

a sudden burst of flame

a blaze of light or fire used to illuminate, identify, alert, signal distress, etc
the device producing such a blaze

a spreading shape or anything with a spreading shapea skirt with a flare

a sudden outburst, as of emotion

optics

the unwanted light reaching the image region of an optical device by reflections inside the instrument, etc
the fogged area formed on a negative by such reflectionsSee also solar flare

astronomy short for solar flare

aeronautics the final transition phase of an aircraft landing, from the steady descent path to touchdown

an open flame used to burn off unwanted gas at an oil well

Derived Forms

flared, adjective

Word Origin for flare

C16 (to spread out): of unknown origin

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

Medicine definitions for flared

flare

[ flâr ]

n.

An area of redness on the skin surrounding the primary site of infection or irritation.