flush
/ˈflʌʃ/ noun, verb, adjective, adverb
Also a form of fledge
Forms flushes flushing flushed flusher flushest
- noun A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc.
- verb (transitive) To cause to take flight from concealment. “The dogs flushed the deer from the woods.”
- verb (intransitive) To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover. “A covey of quail flushed from the undergrowth.”
- adjective Smooth, even, aligned; not sticking out. “Sand down the excess until it is flush with the surface.”
- adjective Wealthy or well off. “He just got a bonus so he's flush today.”
- adjective Full of vigor; fresh; glowing; bright.
- adjective Affluent; abounding; well furnished or supplied; hence, liberal; prodigal.
- adverb Suddenly and completely. “I landed flush on the couch.”
- noun A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.
- noun Particularly, such a cleansing of a toilet.
- noun (computing) The process of clearing the contents of a buffer or cache.
- noun A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.
- noun Any tinge of red color like that produced on the cheeks by a sudden rush of blood. “the flush on the side of a peach; the flush on the clouds at sunset”
- noun A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement, animation, etc. “a flush of joy”
- noun (skiing) A line of poles or obstacles that a skier must weave between.
- verb (transitive) To cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid. “Flush the injury with plenty of water.”
- verb (transitive) Particularly, to cleanse a toilet by introducing a large amount of water.
- verb (intransitive) To become suffused with reddish color due to embarrassment, excitement, overheating, or other systemic disturbance, to blush. “The damsel flushed at the scoundrel's suggestion.”
- verb (transitive) To cause to blush.
- verb To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water. “to flush the meadows”
Synonyms
drive flush out scare up forced forced justified force justified justified sluice blush crimson flower prime peak heyday bloom blossom efflorescence rosiness hot flash bang boot charge rush thrill kick gush outpouring redden level even out
Etymology
From Middle English flusshen, fluschen, of uncertain origin. Compare dialectal flusk (“to fly at, startle a bird out of the bush”) and flusker (“to flutter, fly irregularly”). Perhaps related to Middle English flasshen, flasschen, flaschen, see flash; or a Middle English blend of flowen (“to flow”) + guschen (“to gush”). Compare Saterland Frisian flutskje, German Low German flutschen, German flutschen.
Same as Etymology 3, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
Probably from Etymology 1, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
Various similar terms are found in dialectal English and Scots as flash and flosh (older Scots flosche), and the variation goes back to Middle English flushe, flosche, flashe, flaske. The DSL suggests a relation between flush, English flash (“pool”), and Middle English flosche, but influence from other water-related senses of flush and flash is also conceivable.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To flow and spread suddenly; to rush; as, blood flushes into the face.
- verb To become suddenly suffused, as the cheeks; to turn red; to blush.
- verb To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water; as, to flush the meadows; to flood for the purpose of cleaning; as, to flush a sewer.
- verb To cause the blood to rush into (the face); to put to the blush, or to cause to glow with excitement.
Etymology [Cf. OE. fluschen to fly up, penetrate, F. fluz a flowing, E. flux, dial. Sw. flossa to blaze, and E. flash; perh. influenced by blush. *84.]
Etymology [From F. or Sp. flux. Cf. Flux.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “flush”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details