What does "flare up" mean?

For a condition to worsen For a chronic condition to suddenly become more severe.

How do you use "flare up" in a sentence?

My arthritis flared up. His eczema flares up in winter. The condition flared up again.

flare up

Phrasal Verb BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

Meaning: For a condition to worsen

（病情）发作、加重

Agravarse, tener un brote

（持病などが）悪化する

(지병 등이) 악화되다

For a chronic condition to suddenly become more severe.

慢性病突然恶化。常用于描述关节炎、湿疹、过敏等慢性病的复发或加重。

Para una condición crónica que de repente empeora. Se usa comúnmente para describir el empeoramiento de artritis, eccema, alergias y otras condiciones crónicas.

慢性的な症状が突然悪化すること。関節炎、湿疹、アレルギーなどの持病について使われることが多い。

만성 질환이 갑자기 심해지다.

Base verb: flare

Particle: up

Separable: No — the verb and particle stay together

Examples

My arthritis flared up.
我的关节炎发作了
Mi artritis empeoró
関節炎が悪化した
관절염이 악화되었다.
His eczema flares up in winter.
他的湿疹冬天会发作
Su eccema empeora en invierno
彼の湿疹は冬になると悪化する
그의 습진은 겨울이 되면 악화된다.
The condition flared up again.
病情又加重了
La afección volvió a agravarse
症状がまた悪化した
증상이 다시 악화되었다.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: chronic illness, worsening, symptoms

Tone: concerned

✓ Do Say

Flare-up
发作、复发
Brote, recrudecimiento
悪化、再発
악화, 재발

Origin & History

From flames flaring up.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal