[flare] vb flared ; flar.ing [origin unknown] vi (ca. 1700) 1 a: to burn with an unsteady flame b: to stream in the wind
2. a: to shine with a sudden light "a match ~s in the darkness" b (1): to become suddenly excited or angry--usu. used with up (2): to break out or intensify usu. suddenly or violently--often used with up "fighting flared up after a two-week lull" c: to express strong emotion (as anger) "flaring out at such abuses"
3: to open or spread outward "the pants ~ at the bottom" ~ vt 1: to display conspicuously "flaring her scarf to attract attention"
2: to cause to flare "the breeze ~s the candle"
3: to signal with a flare or by flaring
4: to burn (a jet of waste gas) in the open air
[2]flare n (1814) 1: an unsteady glaring light
2. a: a fire or blaze of light used esp. to signal, illuminate, or attract attention; also: a device or composition used to produce such a flare b: solar flare; also: a sudden increase and decrease in the brightness of a star often amounting to a difference of several magnitudes
3: a sudden outburst (as of excitement or anger)
4. a: a spreading outward; also: a place or part that spreads b: an area of skin flush
5: light resulting from reflection (as between lens surfaces) or an effect of this light (as a fogged or dense area in a photographic negative)