rear up
To stand up tall suddenly (like a horse standing on its back legs), or for a problem to suddenly appear.
Meanings
(Of an animal, especially a horse) To rise up onto its hind legs.
"The stallion reared up dramatically when the starting gun fired."
To appear suddenly in a dramatic, threatening, or imposing way (of a problem, obstacle, or structure).
"Just when everything seemed to be going well, a new complication reared up to delay the project."
To rise up steeply or to tower upward (of a building, cliff, or landscape).
"The castle walls reared up above the village, casting long shadows across the rooftops."
The animal sense (horse rearing up) is the most physical and literal. The figurative sense is common in journalism and discussion of problems: 'a crisis reared up'. The phrase 'rear its ugly head' is a fixed idiom related to this meaning.
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Forms
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Synonyms
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