flush

[fluhsh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flush ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a blush; rosy glow: a flush of embarrassment on his face.

a rushing or overspreading flow, as of water.

a sudden rise of emotion or excitement: a flush of anger.

glowing freshness or vigor: the flush of youth.

hot flush. hot flash.

a cleansing preparation that acts by flushing: an oil flush for the car's engine.

verb (used with object)

to redden; cause to blush or glow: Winter air flushed the children's cheeks.

to flood or spray thoroughly with water, as for cleansing purposes: They flushed the wall with water and then scrubbed it down.

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

Metallurgy.

to remove slag from (a blast furnace).
to spray (a coke oven) to cool the gases generated and wash away the ammonia and tars distilled.

to animate or excite; inflame: flushed with success.

verb (used without object)

to blush; redden.

to flow with a rush; flow and spread suddenly.

to operate by flushing; undergo flushing: The toilet won't flush.

Origin of flush

1540–50; perhaps extended senses of flush³; compare similar phonesthemic elements and meanings of blush, gush, flash

Related formsflush·a·ble, adjectiveflush·er, nounflush·ing·ly, adverbflush·ness, noun

Synonyms for flush

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flush ON THESAURUS.COM

3. access, rush, flood, impulse, thrill.

flush

[fluhsh]

adjective

even or level, as with a surface; forming the same plane: The bottom of the window is flush with the floor.

having direct contact; being right next to; immediately adjacent; contiguous: The table was flush against the wall.

well-supplied, as with money; affluent; prosperous: He was feeling flush on payday.

abundant or plentiful, as money.

having a ruddy or reddish color; blushing.

full of vigor; lusty.

full to overflowing.

Printing. even or level with the right margin (flush right) or the left margin (flush left) of the type page; without an indention.

adverb

on the same level; in a straight line; without a change of plane: to be made flush with the top of the table.

in direct contact; squarely: It was set flush against the edge.

verb (used with object)

to make flush or even.

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

verb (used without object)

to send out shoots, as plants in spring.

noun

a fresh growth, as of shoots and leaves.

Origin of flush

First recorded in 1540–50; perhaps all sense developments of flush¹

Related formsflush·ness, noun

flush

[fluhsh]Hunting.

verb (used with object)

to rouse and cause to start up or fly off: to flush a woodcock.

verb (used without object)

to fly out or start up suddenly.

noun

a flushed bird or flock of birds.

Origin of flush

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flushed

embarrassed, rosy, elated, burning, blushing, intoxicated, enthused, crimson, animated, inspired, thrilled, aroused, ablaze, feverish, florid, full-blooded, high, hot, red, rubicund

Examples from the Web for flushed

Contemporary Examples of flushed

He plucked them and flushed the feathers carefully, so as not to block up the toilets and draw attention.
Tales of a Jailhouse Gourmet: How I learned to Cook in Prison
Daniel Genis
June 21, 2014
Indoor plumbing also requires somewhere for the flushed waste to go.
What's Better: Cell Phones or Indoor Toilets?
Megan McArdle
January 3, 2013
At the defense table, Edwards covered his flushed face with his hands.
Ex-Staffers Claim That Elizabeth Edwards Knew About John’s Infidelity
Diane Dimond
May 3, 2012
Discovering who gave the singer the drugs or who might have flushed them down the toilet will change little at this point.
Whitney Houston’s Death Is Not Solved by Toxicology Report
Allison Samuels
March 27, 2012
That oil used in manufacturing the gauges had not been flushed out, and a residue remained.
The 800 Dangerous Airbus Planes in the Sky
Clive Irving
March 14, 2010

Historical Examples of flushed

The face, neck, and arms of the modest maiden were flushed with indignant crimson.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
Robert flushed with gratification at the high compliment conveyed in these words.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
This crystal pallor or a flushed joy—in one of the two she was most beautiful.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
He saw them laughing, flushed, silhouetted against the green, distant trees.
Viviette
William J. Locke
He had not lost the fact that she had flushed when he spoke to her.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for flushed

flush

verb

to blush or cause to blush

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

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

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

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

(tr; usually passive) to excite or elate

noun

a rosy colour, esp in the cheeks; blush

a sudden flow or gush, as of water

a feeling of excitement or elationthe flush of success

early bloom; freshnessthe flush of youth

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

ecology an area of boggy land fed by ground water

adjective

having a ruddy or heightened colour

Derived Formsflusher, noun

Word Origin for flush

C16 (in the sense: to gush forth): perhaps from flush ³

flush

adjective (usually postpositive)

level or even with another surface

directly adjacent; continuous

informal having plenty of money

informal abundant or plentiful, as money

full of vigour

full to the brim or to the point of overflowing

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

(of a blow) accurately delivered

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

adverb

so as to be level or even

directly or squarely

verb (tr)

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

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

noun

a period of fresh growth of leaves, shoots, etc

Derived Formsflushness, noun

Word Origin for flush

C18: probably from flush 1 (in the sense: spring out)

flush

verb

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

Word Origin for flush

C13 flusshen, perhaps of imitative origin

flush

⁴

noun

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

Word Origin for flush

C16: from Old French flus, from Latin fluxus flux

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for flushed

flush

"fly up suddenly," c.1300, perhaps imitative of the sound of beating wings, or related to flash via its variant flushe. Probably not connected to Old French flux, source of flush (n.).

Transitive meaning "to cause to fly, start" is first attested mid-15c. The sense of "spurt, rush out suddenly, flow with force" (1540s) is probably the same word, with the connecting notion being "sudden movement," but its senses seem more to fit the older ones of flash (now all transferred to this word except in flash flood). Meaning "cleanse a drain, etc., with a rush of water" is from 1789. The noun sense of "sudden redness in the face" (1620s) probably belongs here, too. The verb in this sense is from 1660s. "A very puzzling word" [Weekley]. Related: Flushed; flushing.

flush

adj.

1550s, "perfect, faultless;" c.1600, "abundant; plentifully supplied (with money, etc.)," perhaps from flush (v.) through the notion of a river running full, hence level with its banks. Meaning "even, level" is from 1620s.

flush

"hand of cards all of one suit," 1520s, perhaps from Middle French flus (15c.), from Old French flux "a flowing," with the sense of "a run" (of cards), from Latin fluxus "flux," from fluere "to flow" (see fluent). The form in English probably was influenced by flush (v.).

flushed in Medicine