1
as in flurry
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a flare in gift card sales around graduation time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in burst
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling
ended the quarrel with a stunning flare of swearwords
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to glow
to shine with a bright harsh light
floodlights flaring into the forbidding empty spaces surrounding the prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026
They are classified by strength into five categories, A, B, C, M, and X, each letter representing a 10-fold increase in intensity, with X-flares being the most powerful.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
But when a former co-worker pulls the same maneuver, tempers flare, and things start to get pretty dark.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flare
Noun
The collection includes the Bea, a wide-leg jean with a low rise; the Desi, a high rise flare jean; the Nelly, a high rise mini skirt; the Gemi, a wide-leg jean with a mid rise; and the Liò, a mid-rise straight jean.
—Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 24 Apr. 2026
They are classified by strength into five categories, A, B, C, M, and X, each letter representing a 10-fold increase in intensity, with X-flares being the most powerful.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management was notified by refinery officials Monday morning about the flaring event Sunday.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
But when a former co-worker pulls the same maneuver, tempers flare, and things start to get pretty dark.
—K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for flare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flare
Noun
-
He should not be deluded by the Phillies’ quick flurry of wins after replacing Rob Thompson as manager with Don Mattingly.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
QuickTake The fire, one of the most destructive in California history, has also led to a flurry of lawsuits against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Water, the biggest municipal utility in the US.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
An unexpected new burst of infamy arrived in 2011, when the motto appeared at SlutWalk NYC, a feminist protest, on a sign held by a protester—a white woman, as far as anyone could tell.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Each new burst of observation, each refined model, peels back another layer, showing us just how dynamic and surprising the life of a star can be.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
The steady light of Saturn will shine below the Great Square of Pegasus with Mars lower still on the eastern horizon, close to the glow of the Pleiades open cluster.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
1 May 2026
-
With recent collaborations with tech titans like NVIDIA and hardware experts like Kinova, AtkinsRéalis is building an ecosystem where the next generation of energy is managed by machines that never tire and fear nothing, even the invisible glow of a reactor core.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While the vast majority of burns occur with few issues, fires have escaped in rare cases, like in New Mexico in 2022, which led the Forest Service to pause burning nationwide.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
4 May 2026
-
The mayor and the City Council have been warned for years that these shortcomings were leaving the city unacceptably vulnerable to the very kind of emergency that wiped out my home, killed 12 of my neighbors and burned 7,000 additional structures.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Flagg and Knueppel traded places as betting favorites during the season, but Flagg’s 96-point outburst over two games on the second-to-last weekend might have tipped the scales.—
Schuyler Dixon,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The Bears took control with a 5-0 outburst in the third quarter for a 12-7 advantage over the defending champions.—
Glae Thien,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Quick hits • Orlando Science Center hosts Mess Fest, which splatters knowledge and physics with paint, foam explosions and more.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
Explosion of leftover bombs killed 14 in Iran An explosion of leftover bombs from strikes during the war against Iran killed 14 Revolutionary Guard members, IRNA and other Iranian media reported Friday.—
Toqa Ezzidin,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Symptoms include blurry or double vision, floaters, dark spots and trouble seeing in glare or bright light.—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
-
With a glare and a snarl and youthful athleticism, the wrong side of history beckons.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
This campy, reality-shifting comedy series questions what would happen if a flaming misogynist woke up in a world that was completely matriarchal and subjugated men based on their gender.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The juvenile managed to drive the flaming car back onto the freeway, driving again the wrong direction before the car gave out near the Auburn Boulevard on-ramp.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flare. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
