Meaning & use
a flare up
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Meanings
nouncountable
A sudden return or worsening of an illness, pain, or other problem that had seemed to be getting better.
Grammar: Countable and usually needs an article or a possessive: a flare-up, another flare-up, my flare-up.
Patterns
- a flare-up of something
- have/suffer a flare-up
- during a flare-up
She had a bad flare-up of her arthritis last winter.
After months of calm, his back pain had another flare-up.
Doctors say stress can trigger a flare-up of the condition.
nouncountable
A sudden outbreak of fighting, anger, or trouble after a period of quiet.
Grammar: Often used with words like violent, sudden, or fresh before it: a fresh flare-up of violence.
Patterns
- a flare-up of violence
- a violent flare-up
- a flare-up between people
The border saw a fresh flare-up of violence in June.
There was a flare-up between the two neighbors over the fence.
Officials fear a flare-up of the old conflict.
Common combinations
- a flare-up of arthritis
- A flare-up of arthritis kept her at home for a week.
- suffer a flare-up
- Many patients suffer a flare-up when the weather turns cold.
- a sudden flare-up
- A sudden flare-up of the disease surprised the doctors.
- trigger a flare-up
- Certain foods can trigger a flare-up in some people.
- a violent flare-up
- A violent flare-up in the region left several people hurt.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outbreak
- Outbreak is used more for diseases or wars spreading, while a flare-up suggests something that had calmed down and then returned.
- recurrence
- Recurrence is formal and simply means something happening again; a flare-up adds the idea of sudden force or intensity.
- episode
- An episode is any single period of illness or trouble, but it need not follow a quiet gap the way a flare-up does.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: a flare up or flare? a flare up or blow-up?
a flare up vs flare
A flare is a bright light or a device that burns brightly; a flare-up is the sudden return of an illness or conflict.
a flare up vs blow-up
A blow-up is a sudden angry argument; a flare-up can be an argument too but is more often used for illness or fighting.
Practice
Which sentence uses "flare-up" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Flare-up" as a noun means a sudden return of an illness or problem, so "a flare-up of his asthma" fits. Option 0 and 3 confuse it with "flare," a bright light, and option 2 wrongly uses it as a verb; the verb form is the two-word "flare up."
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a flare up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.