flare

1. A sudden bright light.
2. A source of brightly burning light or intense heat. · solar flare
3. 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.
4. A flame produced by a burn-off of waste gas (flare gas) from a flare tower (or flare stack), typically at an oil refinery.
5. A sudden eruption or outbreak; a flare-up. (figuratively)
6. A widening of an object with an otherwise roughly constant width. · That's a genuine early 70's flare on those pants.
7. The increase in width of most ship hulls with increasing height above the waterline.
8. Bell-bottom trousers.

Plural flares