flush

• IPA^(key): /ˈflʌʃ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌʃ

From Middle English flusshen, fluschen, of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to Middle English flasshen, flasschen, flaschen, see flash; or a Middle English blend of flowen (“to flow”) +‎ guschen (“to gush”). Compare with German flutschen.

flush (plural flushes)

1. A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book V, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     As when a Faulcon hath with nimble flight / Flowne at a flush of Ducks foreby the brooke […].

flush (third-person singular simple present flushes, present participle flushing, simple past and past participle flushed)

1. (transitive) To cause to take flight from concealment.

   Synonyms: drive, flush out, scare up

   The dogs flushed the deer from the woods.

2. (intransitive) To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover.

   A covey of quail flushed from the undergrowth.

   • 1613, William Browne, “The Fourth Song”, in Britannia’s Pastorals. The First Booke, London: […] Iohn Haviland, published 1625, →OCLC, page 83:

     But then as little VVrens but nevvly fledge, / […] / His fellovv noting his agilitie, / Thinkes he as vvell may venter as the other, / So fluſhing from one ſpray vnto another, / Gets to the top, and then enbold'ned flies, / Vnto an height paſt ken of humane eyes: […]

   • 1926, Arthur Cleveland Bent, Life Histories of North American Birds: Marsh Birds, page 336:

     The birds seem to lie very close and must be nearly stepped on before they will flush.

   • 1972, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Appropriations. Subcommittee on Department of Defense, Department of Defense Appropriations for Fiscal Year 1973, page 460:

     AWACS is survivable due to its ability to flush on warning, to maneuver at jet speeds, to maintain awareness of the developing air situation and to command weapons as appropriate, including weapons for its own defense.

Same as Etymology 3, according to the American Heritage Dictionary.

flush (comparative flusher, superlative flushest)

1. Smooth, even, aligned; not sticking out.

   Sand down the excess until it is flush with the surface.

2. Wealthy or well off.

   He just got a bonus so he's flush today.

   • 2001, Susan Stryker, Queer Pulp, page 54:

     In 1952, Fawcett Books was flush with the unprecedented success of Women's Barracks.

3. (typography) Short for flush left and right: a body of text aligned with both its left and right margins.

   Synonyms: forced, forced justified, force justified, justified

4. Full of vigour; fresh; glowing; bright.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:

     With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May.

5. Affluent; abounding; well furnished or suppled; hence, liberal; prodigal.
   • 1712, Humphry Polesworth [pseudonym; John Arbuthnot], “A Copy of Bull and Frog’s Letter to Lord Strutt”, in Law is a Bottomless-Pit. […], London: […] John Morphew, […], →OCLC, page 8:

     [H]e vvas not fluſh in Ready [i.e., ready money], either to go to Lavv or clear old Debts, neither could he find good Bail: […]

• flush left, flush right, flush left and right, flush mount, flush mounted, flush mounting, flush cast, non-flush, semi-flush

flush (not comparable)

1. Suddenly and completely.

   I landed flush on the couch.

Probably from Etymology 1 according to the American Heritage Dictionary.

flush (plural flushes)

1. A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.
   • 1691, John Ray, The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation. […], London: […] Samuel Smith, […], →OCLC:

     in manner of a wave or flush

2. Particularly, such a cleansing of a toilet.
3. (computing) The process of clearing the contents of a buffer or cache.
4. A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.
   • 1830 June, Alfred Tennyson, “Madeline”, in Poems. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 18:

     When I would kiss thy hand, / The flush of anger'd shame / O'erflows thy calmer glances, / And o'er black brows drops down / A sudden-curved frown: […]

5. Any tinge of red colour 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

6. A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement, animation, etc.

   a flush of joy

7. (skiing) A line of poles or obstacles that a skier must weave between.

flush (third-person singular simple present flushes, present participle flushing, simple past and past participle flushed)

1. (transitive) To cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid.

   Flush the injury with plenty of water.

2. (transitive) Particularly, to cleanse a toilet by introducing a large amount of water.
3. (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.

   • 1872, “The Argosy. Edited by Mrs. Henry Wood. Volume XIV. July to December, 1872”, in Google‎, London, page 60:

     She turned, laughing at the surprise, and flushing with pleasure.

4. (transitive) To cause to blush.
   • [1716], [John] Gay, “(please specify the page number(s))”, in Trivia: Or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London, London: […] Bernard Lintott, […], →OCLC:

     Nor flush with shame the passing virgin's cheek.

   • 1819, John Keats, “The Eve of St. Agnes”, in Lamia, Isabella, the Eve of St. Agnes, and Other Poems, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], published 1820, →OCLC, stanza XVI, page 91:

     Sudden a thought came like a full-blown rose, / Flushing his brow, [...]

   • 1925, Countee Cullen, Fruit of the Flower:

     "Who plants a seed begets a bud, -- Extract of that same root; -- Why marvel at the hectic blood -- That flushes this wild fruit?"

5. To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water.

   to flush the meadows

6. (transitive) To excite, inflame.
   • 1692–1717, Robert South, “Against Long Extemporary Prayers”, in Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, 6th edition, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: […] J[ames] Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, […], published 1727, →OCLC:

     such things as can only feed his pride and flush his ambition

   • 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Prognosis”, in Open House; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, 1975, →ISBN, page 5:

     Chill depths of the spirit are flushed to a fever,
     The nightmare silence is broken. We are not lost.

7. (intransitive, of a toilet) To be cleansed by being flooded with generous quantities of water.

   There must be somebody home: I just heard the toilet flushing.

8. (transitive, computing) To clear (a buffer or cache) of its contents.
9. (transitive, computing, of data held in a buffer or cache) To write (the data) to primary storage, clearing it from the buffer or cache.

   flush to disk

10. To flow and spread suddenly; to rush.

    Blood flushes into the face.

    • 1545, John Bale, The Image of Both Churches:

      the flushing noise of many waters

11. To show red; to shine suddenly; to glow.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

      In her cheek, distemper flushing glowed.

12. (masonry) To fill in (joints); to point the level; to make them flush.
13. (mining, intransitive) To operate a placer mine, where the continuous supply of water is insufficient, by holding back the water, and releasing it periodically in a flood.
14. (mining) To fill underground spaces, especially in coal mines, with material carried by water, which, after drainage, constitutes a compact mass.
15. (intransitive, transitive) To dispose or be disposed of by flushing down a toilet

In sense “turn red with embarrassment”, blush is more common. More finely, in indicating the actual change, blush is usual – “He blushed with embarrassment” – but in indicating state, flushed is also common – “He was flushed with excitement”.

• (turn red with embarrassment): blush

Probably from Middle French flus (“flow”), cognate with flux.

flush (plural flushes)

1. (poker) A hand consisting of all cards with the same suit.

• → French: flush
• → Japanese: フラッシュ (furasshu)
• → Korean: 플러쉬 (peulleoswi)
• → Portuguese: flush

Borrowed from English flush.

• IPA^(key): /flœʃ/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

flush m (plural flushs)

1. (poker) flush

   Synonym: couleur

2. (anglicism) flush (reddening of the face)
3. (anglicism, information technology) emptying of the cache

• quinte flush

• flusher

Unadapted borrowing from English flush.

flush m (plural flushes)

1. (poker) flush (hand consisting of all cards with the same suit)