Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A sudden outbreak of flame or light.
- noun An outburst or eruption.
- noun A recurrence, especially of a disease or condition.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A sudden flashing or flaring of flame or light.
- noun A sudden quarrel or angry argument.
- noun Nautical, a distinguishing light exhibited as a signal by a pilot vessel, or a signal flare to a vessel which is overtaking another vessel, used as a warning to the ship coming up from astern.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun colloq. A sudden burst of anger or passion; an angry dispute.
- noun A sudden bursting into flame; a flaring.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A sudden
outbreak ,outburst oreruption (originally offlame , but now used more generally of any violent activity) - noun A sudden
intensification inactivity
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a sudden intense happening
- verb ignite quickly and suddenly, especially after having died down
- verb erupt or intensify suddenly
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word flare-up.
Examples
-
Her trip was a week after a major flare-up/attack, so I informed her about things and left the decision up to her.
-
The flare-up began with a bid last week by Sunni leaders in Diyala province to win more autonomy from Baghdad through a referendum.
Sectarian Feud Roils Post-U.S. Iraq Sam Dagher 2011
-
U.S. government securities have generally tracked the price of oil since the flare-up in Libya, traders said.
Safe-Haven Treasurys to Stay Bid on Oil Threat Bradley Davis 2011
-
The Egyptian diplomacy was aimed at ending the worst flare-up across the Israel-Gaza border since April.
Israel and Hamas in Cease-Fire Deal Joshua Mitnick 2011
-
The flare-up underscores how any progress in talks over the North's nuclear program could be derailed by armed confrontation.
South Korea Returns Fire at North Alastair Gale 2011
-
TOKYO — Japan, which is embroiled in a thorny territorial spat with China, may be facing the flare-up of a long-simmering dispute with another neighbor and former military foe: Russia.
Japan Confronts Russia in Island Dispute Yuka Hayashi 2010
-
The student had sought me out to ask whether, as the Martin Peretz Professor of Yiddish Literature, I might offer an opinion on the flare-up.
At Harvard, Groupthink About Islam Ruth R. Wisse 2010
-
The episode is the latest flare-up of tension between the companies over issues including Yahoo's unwillingness to sell back its stake to Alibaba Group and Yahoo's frustration over the management of its brand in China.
Yahoo Expanding R&D in China Loretta Chao 2011
-
Another minicrisis, such as a repeat of the spring's flare-up of sovereign-debt worries in Europe, also could cause corporate bonds to suffer.
As Bond Market Rallies On, Risks Lurk Beneath Surface Mark Gongloff 2010
-
The flare-up comes amid incremental progress in dialogue between the Koreas and between Pyongyang and the U.S. over North Korea's nuclear program.
South Korea Returns Fire at North Alastair Gale 2011
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.