No one wished it so, but we are the first species to become a geophysical force, altering Earth's climate, a role previously reserved for tectonics, sun flares, and glacial cycles.

Sami's temper flared.

A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999.

Flares are used to avoid heat-seeking missiles.

We thought Mary and Tom were lost at sea but then we saw the distress flare.

The protests flared into a civil war.

She flared up with anger.

She flared up at the sight of her husband walking with another woman.

Now, Marzio is one of around 50,000 people whose lives are on hold after they were placed under quarantine as Italy tries to contain Europe's worst outbreak of coronavirus that flared up in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto.

Italy's National Fire Corps (Vigili del Fuoco) reported that air tankers from Canada helped fight more than 715 flare-ups in the past 24 hours.