flare ups

Verb

flare up (third-person singular simple present flares up, present participle flaring up, simple past and past participle flared up)

1. (intransitive) To burn brightly again.
   • The fire flared up after we added more wood to it.
2. (intransitive) To become more intense suddenly.
   • Reports indicate that tensions have flared up in the Middle East again.
3. (intransitive, sometimes) To burst out suddenly, as in anger.
   • The insult made him flare up.