Flare-up

Alternative forms

• flareup

Origin

flare + up

Full definition of flare-up

Noun

1. A sudden outbreak, outburst or eruption (originally of flame, but now used more generally of any violent activity)
• 2000, Jon Zonderman, Ronald Vender, Understanding Crohn Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, Although Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic, they are characterized by periods of remission that last for varying amounts of time, interrupted by flare-ups, when symptoms of the disease become more evident.
2. A sudden intensification in activity