/flɛə̯/, /flɛɚ̯/, /fleː/
OriginOrigin unknown, first recorded in the mid 16th century, probably related to Latin flagrō (“I burn”). Norwegian flara (“to blaze; to flaunt in gaudy attire”) has a similar meaning, but the English word predates it. Possibly related to Middle High German vlederen (“to flutter”), represented by modern German flattern.
The noun is derived from the verb.
- A sudden bright light.
- A source of brightly burning light or intense heat.
“solar flare”
“I was looking in the direction of the lightship off and on from the time we first sighted her. I could not be mistaken in such a matter as a flare-up light. By a flare-up light I mean a large bright l”
“[T]he forward deck near the house was all saturated with spilt oil and there was a quantity of oakum lying about, some of which possibly had been used for flares or distress signals.”
- A type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light without an explosion, used to attract attention in an emergency, to illuminate an area, or as a decoy.
“Flares were used to steer the traffic away from the accident.”
“The flares attracted the heat-seeking missiles.”
“Stowed away in the plane Jack had a signal pistol and several red and green cartridges, but until a search plane appeared the flares would be useless.”
- A flame produced by a burn-off of waste gas (flare gas) from a flare tower (or flare stack), typically at an oil refinery.
“Flare stacks are used in gas plants, petroleum refineries, and petrochemical plants to combust surplus hydrocarbons to produce combustion products that are neither toxic nor combustible. Flares freque”
- figurativelyA sudden eruption or outbreak; a flare-up.
“Antiinflammatory corticosteroid creams and ointments are prescribed for inflamed or lichenified areas. These creams are more effective when applied to damp skin. The lowest potency that controls signs”
- A widening of an object with an otherwise roughly constant width.
“During assembly of a flare tube fitting, a flare nut is used to secure the flared tubing’s tapered end to the also tapered fitting, producing a pressure-resistant, leak-tight seal.”
“That's a genuine early 70's flare on those pants.”
“That silhouette which is at present under consideration, the much-talked-of "barrel," appears in a Bulloz suit of rough white woolen material stitched with blue cotton thread; both on the skirt and co”
- The increase in width of most ship hulls with increasing height above the waterline.
- in-pluralBell-bottom trousers.
“In the early 1970's, a giddy epoch in men's fashion, when denim flares and platform oxfords were the outer edge of style, Giorgio Armani made a suit that stretched. Imbued with spandex, the elastic fi”
“As a teenager I hitch-hiked around free rock concerts, wearing flowered shirts and denim flares – jeans that were worn so much, in such rough conditions, and with so little attention to washing and ca”
- The transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.
“The captain executed the flare perfectly, and we lightly touched down.”
“In normal operations, the rate of descent (or sink rate) will be approximately constant as the airplane approaches the runway. The objective of the flare is to reduce the vertical speed to an acceptab”
- A low fly ball that is hit in the region between the infielders and the outfielders.
“Jones hits a little flare to left that falls for a single.”
“An observant base runner checks the outfield defense and easily goes from first to third when the batter hits a flare to right field. A base runner who does not observe the depth of the outfield must ”
- A route run by the running back, releasing toward the sideline and then slightly arcing upfield looking for a short pass.
- abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsisEllipsis of lens flare.
“The defect in question is the flare which frequently arises from the use of compound lenses when there is a very bright object in front, resulting in a ghost-like image of that object being thrown upo”
- An inflammation such as of tendons (tendonitis) or joints (osteoarthritis).
- A breakdance move of someone helicoptering his torso on alternating arms.
- transitiveTo cause to burn; in particular, to burn off excess gas.
“Qatar joined the World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction programme in early 2008, indicating its commitment to reducing the process of flaring the gas found with oil deposits.”
“One time I was working with the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) on fueling their fleet, and I was surprised to see them flaring the methane at their wastewater facility.”
- transitiveTo cause inflammation; to inflame.
“Trying to draw a breath flared the pressure on his chest into searing agony.”
“Adequate rest is incorporated into upper extremity training program so as not to flare the joint.”
- ambitransitiveTo open outward in shape.
“The cat flared its nostrils while sniffing at the air. (transitive)”
“The cat’s nostrils flared when it sniffed at the air. (intransitive)”
“The building flared from the third through the seventh floors to occupy the airspace over the entrance plaza. (intransitive)”
- ambitransitiveTo (operate an aircraft to) transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.
“After a brief refueling stop in Fairbanks, Billy continued on to the cabin. As he flared the Huey [a helicopter] to land, he could see Moses running out of the cabin to greet him”
“I had one instructor that called and said he had tried everything to solo his student but the guy just couldn't get the picture of what was expected. One time around the airport the student would flar”
- intransitiveTo blaze brightly.
“The blast furnace flared in the night.”
“Thou rear'st thy stately neck, / And, while I list, thou flarest in men's eyes / A gorgeous queen; […]”
“And when Slaughter and Pillage begin to tire, / High flareth red Fire! / How he roars and hisses and flashes! / His frenzy soon turns / The proud pile to a mass of grey ashes, […]”
- intransitiveTo shine out with a sudden and unsteady light; to emit a dazzling or painfully bright light.
“The candle flared in a sudden draught.”
“The substance to which all common flames owe their brightness is finely-divided charcoal. […] Of this formation of charcoal the proof is obvious whenever a candle flares and smokes; for the unburnt ch”
- figuratively, intransitiveTo shine out with gaudy colours; to be offensively bright or showy.
“[B]y a robe of white, the which ſhe weares, / With ribones pendant flaring bout her head, / I ſhalbe ſure to know her, […]”
“Wealth's golden key displayeth she, / And robes of state she weareth, / And the jewell'd star of high degree, / Fix'd at her bosom flareth.”
- figuratively, intransitiveTo suddenly happen or intensify.
“The genius of the poet [John Keats] flares up, dies out, and flares again, as if there were a dearth of fuel to feed it; and by this fault, more than any other, he is removed out of the class of great”
- figuratively, intransitiveTo suddenly erupt in anger.
“[H]e flared up very much when I told him I could not give him the schedule.”
“One of the most heated periods occurred in 1965 when the Forest Service decided forest lands could no longer tolerate unrestricted grazing by livestock, especially hogs. […] Notice went out to local r”
- intransitive, obsoleteTo be exposed to too much light.
“[…] I [Satan] cannot ſtay / Flaring in ſun-ſhine all the day: / For, entre nous, we helliſh ſprites, / Love more the freſco of the nights; […]”
Formsflares(plural) · flares(present, singular, third-person) · flaring(participle, present) · flared(participle, past) · flared(past)