to flare up
- phrasal verb
- /flɛr ʌp/
- During this phase, trouble flared up again, particularly in the crowded alleys of Lahore.
- flare up again
But if you kick the sand, then it flares up again and that's, that's PTSD.
- But if you kick the sand, then it flares up again and that's, that's PTSD.
- I bet those feelings flare up for you.
- He would mask it through charm, but sometimes his true self would flare up.
- And then I went to university and my chronic illness flared up.
- All these things can cause inflammation in the body and therefore lead to your immune system flaring up and attacking parts of your body.
- I tend to baby my back a little bit in order to not have the pain flare up.
- When people bump into us and we think that they're being careless, we don't have to allow that to automatically flare up into a rage.
- Another trick is drink a glass of water because that typically can satiate that appetite that flares up.
- You're angry, your adrenaline flares up, your chest tightens up, your breath shortens as you're breathing, you're a lot more aggressive and you just start firing.
- My OCD flares up so much when traveling because there's so many factors that come with traveling that I have no control over.
Examples
-
Mm... it flares up from time to time.
-
I was stupid to leave my pain pills in New York... ...but it's been a while since it's flared up.
-
My old shoulder injury just flared up.
-
But every now and then your feelings flare up and that's OK.
-
When she saw that, her asthma flared up again.
-
My bursitis is really flaring up again.
-
They flare up every few months.
-
Her arthritis is flaring up, with pain in her back, her legs, and her hands.
Fiction book (1997) -
My OCD flares up so much when traveling because there's so many factors that come with traveling that I have no control over.
-
My old shoulder injury suddenly flared up after years of being fine.
Synonyms
To start suddenly, often with something dangerous like a fire or disease
To suddenly start in a strong or violent way, often showing strong feeling
To become more intense or make a situation more intense
To become suddenly more intense, often about anger or violence
To rise suddenly and sharply
Rise quickly to a much higher level
A body part or health problem that starts to cause pain again after getting better
To become suddenly very angry and lose control
To start suddenly and strongly, like an argument or a strong feeling
To rise very quickly to a much higher level
Become suddenly stronger or easier to notice after a quiet time
To suddenly start burning strongly or become much more intense
To start burning with a strong bright flame
To become suddenly very severe, as a disease or symptom
To become more active or exciting in a situation
Antonyms
How Intense
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents contribute directly to the overall meaning: 'flare' already denotes a sudden intensification or outbreak and the particle 'up' signals an increase or escalation. This is a regular verb+particle composition that is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase flare up comes from the image of a small flare or flame that suddenly grows bright and jumps up. So, we use it for anger, pain, or fights that 'suddenly become stronger or worse'.