flush

== English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈflʌʃ/ Rhymes: -ʌʃ === Etymology 1 === 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. ==== Noun ==== flush (plural flushes) A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc. ==== Verb ==== flush (third-person singular simple present flushes, present participle flushing, simple past and past participle flushed) (transitive) To cause to take flight from concealment. Synonyms: drive, flush out, scare up (intransitive) To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover. ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === Same as Etymology 3, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. ==== Adjective ==== flush (comparative flusher, superlative flushest) Smooth, even, aligned; not sticking out. Wealthy or well off. (typography) Ellipsis of flush left and right: a body of text aligned with both its left and right margins. Synonyms: forced, forced justified, force justified, justified Full of vigor; fresh; glowing; bright. Affluent; abounding; well furnished or supplied; hence, liberal; prodigal. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Adverb ==== flush (not comparable) Suddenly and completely. === Etymology 3 === Probably from Etymology 1, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. ==== Noun ==== flush (countable and uncountable, plural flushes) A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes. Particularly, such a cleansing of a toilet. (computing) The process of clearing the contents of a buffer or cache. A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow. Any tinge of red color like that produced on the cheeks by a sudden rush of blood. A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement, animation, etc. (skiing) A line of poles or obstacles that a skier must weave between. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== ==== Verb ==== flush (third-person singular simple present flushes, present participle flushing, simple past and past participle flushed) (transitive) To cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid. Synonym: sluice (transitive) Particularly, to cleanse a toilet by introducing a large amount of water. (intransitive) To become suffused with reddish color due to embarrassment, excitement, overheating, or other systemic disturbance, to blush. (transitive) To cause to blush. To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water. (transitive) To excite, inflame. (intransitive, of a toilet) To be cleansed by being flooded with generous quantities of water. (transitive, computing) To clear (a buffer or cache) of its contents. (transitive, computing, of data held in a buffer or cache) To write (the data) to primary storage, clearing it from the buffer or cache. To flow and spread suddenly; to rush. To show red; to shine suddenly; to glow. (masonry) To fill in (joints); to point the level; to make them flush. (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. (mining) To fill underground spaces, especially in coal mines, with material carried by water, which, after drainage, constitutes a compact mass. (intransitive, transitive) To dispose or be disposed of by flushing down a toilet. (Singapore, chiefly military) To move, shift or align to one side. ===== Usage notes ===== 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”. ===== Synonyms ===== (turn red with embarrassment): blush, crimson ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 4 === 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. ==== Pronunciation ==== IPA(key): /flʌʃ/, (dialectally) /flɔʃ/, /flʊʃ/ ==== Noun ==== flush (plural flushes) A groundwater-fed marsh or peaty mire (which may be acidic or basic, nutrient-rich or poor); (originally especially Scotland and Northern England) a (marshy) pool or seep, as in a field. 2012, M. J. Sheehy Skeffington, D. W. Jeffrey, "Growth performance of an inland population of Plantago maritima in response to nitrogen and salinity", in W.G. Beeftink, A.H.L. Huiskes, Jelte Rozema, Ecology of coastal vegetation: Proceedings of a Symposium, page 264: The inland distribution of Plantago maritima in Ireland and Britain is [...] generally associated with base-rich soils or with flushes in more acidic upland soils. [...] Many of these inland sites are on uplands of both acidic and basic rock. [...] associated with calcareous, nutrient-poor flushes, [...] ==== References ==== === Etymology 5 === Probably from Middle French flus (“flow”), cognate with flux. ==== Noun ==== flush (plural flushes) (poker) A hand consisting of all cards with the same suit. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== → French: flush → Japanese: フラッシュ (furasshu) → Korean: 플러쉬 (peulleoswi) → Portuguese: flush ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== == Danish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English flush. === Noun === flush c (singular definite flushen, plural indefinite flush) (poker) flush ==== Declension ==== === See also === == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from English flush. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /flœʃ/ === Noun === flush m (plural flushs) (poker) flush Synonym: couleur (anglicism) flush (reddening of the face) (anglicism, information technology) emptying of the cache ==== Derived terms ==== quinte flush ==== Derived terms ==== flusher == Portuguese == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English flush. === Noun === flush m (plural flushes) (poker) flush (hand consisting of all cards with the same suit) === Further reading === “flush”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “flush”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026