flush

¹ American  

[fluhsh] / flʌʃ /

noun

1. a blush; rosy glow.

   a flush of embarrassment on his face.

2. a rushing or overspreading flow, as of water.

3. a sudden rise of emotion or excitement.

   a flush of anger.

   Synonyms:

   thrill, impulse, flood, rush, access

4. glowing freshness or vigor.

   the flush of youth.

5. hot flush. hot flash.

6. a cleansing preparation that acts by flushing.

   an oil flush for the car's engine.

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verb (used with object)

1. to redden; cause to blush or glow.

   Winter air flushed the children's cheeks.

2. to flood or spray thoroughly with water, as for cleansing purposes.

   They flushed the wall with water and then scrubbed it down.

3. to wash out (a sewer, toilet, etc.) by a sudden rush of water.

4. Metallurgy.

   1. to remove slag from (a blast furnace).

   2. to spray (a coke oven) to cool the gases generated and wash away the ammonia and tars distilled.

5. to animate or excite; inflame.

   flushed with success.

6. Computers.

   1. to empty (a buffer, cache, hard drive, etc.) by deleting the data or transferring it to permanent storage.

      Before flushing the cache, please transfer important data to a permanent file.

   2. to delete (data) or transfer it to permanent storage.

      After a short period to allow for recovery in the case of accidental deletion, we fully flush the data for your security.

verb (used without object)

1. to blush; redden.

2. to flow with a rush; flow and spread suddenly.

3. to operate by flushing; undergo flushing.

   The toilet won't flush.

flush ² American  

[fluhsh] / flʌʃ /

adjective

1. even or level, as with a surface; forming the same plane.

   The bottom of the window is flush with the floor.

2. having direct contact; being right next to; immediately adjacent; contiguous.

   The table was flush against the wall.

3. well-supplied, as with money; affluent; prosperous.

   He was feeling flush on payday.

4. abundant or plentiful, as money.

5. having a ruddy or reddish color; blushing.

6. full of vigor; lusty.

7. full to overflowing.

8. Printing. even or level with the right margin flushright or the left margin flushleft of the type page; without an indention.

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adverb

1. on the same level; in a straight line; without a change of plane.

   to be made flush with the top of the table.

2. in direct contact; squarely.

   It was set flush against the edge.

verb (used with object)

1. to make flush or even.

2. to improve the nutrition of (a ewe) to bring on optimum physiological conditions for breeding.

verb (used without object)

1. to send out shoots, as plants in spring.

noun

1. a fresh growth, as of shoots and leaves.

flush ³ American  

[fluhsh] / flʌʃ /

verb (used with object)

1. to drive (a game bird or other animal) from cover and cause to fly off or spring forth suddenly; rouse: to flush a bear from a thicket.

   to flush a woodcock;

   to flush a bear from a thicket.

2. to force (a person) out of hiding.

   The troops have flushed the rebels from their bases.

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verb (used without object)

1. to fly off or spring forth suddenly from a hiding place; come out of hiding.

noun

1. a flushed bird or other animal, or a group of them.

2. the act of driving or forcing an animal or person from a hiding place.

flush ⁴ American  

[fluhsh] / flʌʃ /

adjective

1. consisting entirely of cards of one suit.

   a flush hand.

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noun

1. a hand or set of cards all of one suit.

2. Pinochle. a meld of ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of the trump suit.

flush ¹ British  

/ flʌʃ /

adjective

1. level or even with another surface

2. directly adjacent; continuous

3. informal having plenty of money

4. informal abundant or plentiful, as money

5. full of vigour

6. full to the brim or to the point of overflowing

7. printing having an even margin, right or left, with no indentations

8. (of a blow) accurately delivered

9. (of a vessel) having no superstructure built above the flat level of the deck

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adverb

1. so as to be level or even

2. directly or squarely

verb

1. to cause (surfaces) to be on the same level or in the same plane

2. to enrich the diet of (an ewe) during the breeding season

noun

1. a period of fresh growth of leaves, shoots, etc

flush ² British  

/ flʌʃ /

verb

1. to blush or cause to blush

2. to flow or flood or cause to flow or flood with or as if with water

3. to glow or shine or cause to glow or shine with a rosy colour

4. to send a volume of water quickly through (a pipe, channel, etc) or into (a toilet) for the purpose of cleansing, emptying, etc

5. to cause (soluble substances in the soil) to be washed towards the surface, as by the action of underground springs, or (of such substances) to be washed towards the soil surface

6. (tr; usually passive) to excite or elate

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noun

1. a rosy colour, esp in the cheeks; blush

2. a sudden flow or gush, as of water

3. a feeling of excitement or elation

   the flush of success

4. early bloom; freshness

   the flush of youth

5. redness of the skin, esp of the face, as from the effects of a fever, alcohol, etc

6. ecology an area of boggy land fed by ground water

adjective

1. having a ruddy or heightened colour

flush ³ British  

/ flʌʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to rouse (game, wild creatures, etc) and put to flight

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flush ⁴ British  

/ flʌʃ /

noun

1. (in poker and similar games) a hand containing only one suit

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Other Word Forms

• flushable
  adjective
• flusher
  noun
• flushingly
  adverb
• flushness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of flush¹

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps extended senses of flush ³; compare sound sequences and meanings of blush, gush, flash

Origin of flush²

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps all sense developments of flush ¹

Origin of flush³

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English flusshen, first attested as past participle fluste, fliste; of uncertain origin

Origin of flush⁴

First recorded in 1520–30; compare French (obsolete) flus, variant of flux “flow, flush” (compare phrase run of cards), from Latin fluxus “a flowing”; see flux

Explanation

When you empty something out with a liquid, you flush it. You might also be flush with cash, meaning you have a lot of it. Just don't flush that cash down the toilet! Your face can flush, and the sky can flush at sunset when it glows with shades of pink. You can also use flush as an adjective to mean "lined up" or "level," like when you hang a medicine cabinet in your bathroom, making sure it's flush against the wall. Yet another meaning of a flush is a peak or boom — a professional poker player might describe her period of winning game after game as a flush.

Example Sentences

Flush with cash, the firms are also wooing the general public, insisting that artificial intelligence will be a force for good -- and not a destroyer of jobs or an existential threat for humanity.

From Barron's • Apr. 25, 2026

Flush with victory, Mr. Milei may feel there’s no need for monetary reform now.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Ann Wilson, lead singer of the Seattle-based rock band Heart, reveals she is battling cancer and will be postponing the group’s Royal Flush Tour to 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 26, 2024

Hot Flush will follow a group of menopausal women from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, who form a punk band to enter a talent contest.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2023

There was a knock on her door, and her dad opened it, letting in the sounds of the Flush holiday album Matthew had been making the family listen to on repeat since Thanksgiving.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Related Words

• cleanse
• drench
• expel
• rinse
• wash