Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Flush

Flush

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Flushed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Flushing
.]
[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.]
1.
To flow and spread suddenly; to rush;
as, blood
flushes
into the face
.
The
flushing
noise of many waters.
Boyle.
It
flushes
violently out of the cock.
Mortimer.
2.
To become suddenly suffused, as the cheeks; to turn red; to blush.
3.
To snow red; to shine suddenly; to glow.
In her cheek, distemper
flushing
glowed.
Milton.
4.
To start up suddenly; to take wing as a bird.
Flushing
from one spray unto another.
W. Browne.

Flush

,
Verb.
T.
1.
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
.
2.
To cause the blood to rush into (the face); to put to the blush, or to cause to glow with excitement.
Nor
flush
with shame the passing virgin’s cheek.
Gay.
Sudden a thought came like a full-blown rose,
Flushing
his brow.
Keats.
3.
To make suddenly or temporarily red or rosy, as if suffused with blood.
How faintly
flushed
. how phantom fair,
Was Monte Rosa, hanging there!
Tennyson.
4.
To excite; to animate; to stir.
Such things as can only feed his pride and
flush
his ambition.
South.
5.
To cause to start, as a hunter a bird.
Nares.
To flush a joints
(Masonry)
,
to fill them in; to point the level; to make them flush.

Flush

,
Noun.
1.
A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.
In manner of a wave or
flush
.
Ray.
2.
A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.
The
flush
of angered shame.
Tennyson.
3.
Any tinge of red color like that produced on the cheeks by a sudden rush of blood;
as, the
flush
on the side of a peach; the
flush
on the clouds at sunset.
4.
A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement. animation, etc.;
as, a
flush
of joy
.
5.
A flock of birds suddenly started up or flushed.

Flush

,
Adj.
1.
Full of vigor; fresh; glowing; bright.
With all his crimes broad blown, as
flush
as May.
Shakespeare
2.
Affluent; abounding; well furnished or suppled; hence, liberal; prodigal.
Lord Strut was not very
flush
in ready.
Arbuthnot.
3.
(Arch. & Mech.)
Unbroken or even in surface; on a level with the adjacent surface; forming a continuous surface;
as, a
flush
panel; a
flush
joint.
4.
(Card Playing)
Consisting of cards of one suit.
Flush bolt
.
(a)
A screw bolt whose head is countersunk, so as to be flush with a surface.
(b)
A sliding bolt let into the face or edge of a door, so as to be flush therewith.
Flush deck
.
(Naut.)
See under
Deck
,
Noun.
, 1.
Flush tank
,
a water tank which can be emptied rapidly for flushing drainpipes, etc.

Flush

,
adv.
So as to be level or even.

Webster 1828 Edition


Flush

FLUSH

, v.i.
1.
To flow and spread suddenly; to rush; as, blood flushes into the face.
2.
To come in haste; to start.
3.
To appear suddenly, as redness or a blush.
A blush rose on their cheeks, flushing and fading like the changeful play of colors on a dolphin.
4.
To become suddenly red; to glow; as, the cheeks flush.
5.
To be gay, splendid or beautiful.
At once, arrayed in all the colors of the flushing year, the garden glows.

FLUSH

, v.t.
1.
To redden suddenly; to cause the blood to rush suddenly into the face.
Nor flush with shame the passing virgin's cheek.
2.
To elate; to elevate; to excite the spirits; to animate with joy; as, to flush with victory.

FLUSH

,
Adj.
1.
Fresh, full of vigor; glowing; bright.
Flush as May.
2.
Affluent; abounding; well furnished.
Lord Strut was not very flush in ready.
3.
Free to spend; liberal; prodigal. He is very flush with his money. This is a popular use of the word in America.
A flush deck, in seamen's language, is a deck without a half-deck or forecastle.

FLUSH

,
Noun.
1.
A sudden flow of blood to the face; or more generally, the redness of face which proceeds from such an afflux of blood. Hectic constitutions are often known by a frequent flush in the cheeks.
2.
Sudden impulse or excitement; sudden flow; as a flush of joy.
3.
Bloom; growth; abundance.
4.
A run of cards of the same suit.
5.
A term for a number of ducks.

Definition 2024


flush

flush

English

Noun

flush (plural flushes)

  1. A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees etc.
    • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, V.2:
      As when a Faulcon hath with nimble flight / Flowne at a flush of Ducks foreby the brooke […].

Verb

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.
    The hunters flushed the tiger from the canebrake.
  2. (intransitive) To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover.
    A covey of quail flushed from the undergrowth.
    • W. Browne
      flushing from one spray unto another
Translations

Etymology 2

Same as #Etymology 3 according to the American Heritage Dictionary

Adjective

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.
  3. (typography) Short for flush left and right; a body of text aligned with both its left and right margins.
  4. Full of vigour; fresh; glowing; bright.
    • Shakespeare
      With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May.
  5. Affluent; abounding; well furnished or suppled; hence, liberal; prodigal.
    • Arbuthnot
      Lord Strut was not very flush in ready.
Synonyms
  • (typography): double-clean, flush left and right, forced, forced justified, force justified, justified
Derived terms
  • flush left, flush right, flush left and right
Translations

Etymology 3

Probably from #Etymology 1 according to American Heritage Dictionary

Noun

flush (plural flushes)

  1. A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.
    • Ray
      in manner of a wave or flush
  2. Particularly, such a cleansing of a toilet.
  3. A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.
    • Tennyson
      the flush of angered shame
  4. 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
  5. A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement, animation, etc.
    a flush of joy
Translations

Verb

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.
  4. (transitive) To cause to blush.
    • John Gay
      Nor flush with shame the passing virgin's cheek.
    • Keats
      Sudden a thought came like a full-blown rose, / Flushing his brow.
    • 1925, Fruit of the Flower, by Countee Cullen
      "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.
    • South
      such things as can only feed his pride and flush his ambition
  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) of its contents.
  9. To flow and spread suddenly; to rush.
    Blood flushes into the face.
    • Boyle
      the flushing noise of many waters
  10. To show red; to shine suddenly; to glow.
    • Milton
      In her cheek, distemper flushing glowed.
  11. (masonry) To fill in (joints); to point the level; to make them flush.
  12. (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.
  13. (mining) To fill underground spaces, especially in coal mines, with material carried by water, which, after drainage, constitutes a compact mass.
Usage notes

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

Synonyms
  • (turn red with embarrassment): blush
Translations

Etymology 4

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

Noun

flush (plural flushes)

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

See also

Poker hands in English · poker hands (layout · text)
high card pair two pair three of a kind straight
flush full house four of a kind straight flush royal flush

French

Etymology

From English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /flœʃ/

Noun

flush m (plural flushs)

  1. (poker) flush
  2. (anglicism, biology) reddening of the face.
  3. (anglicism, IT) emptying of the cache

Derived terms


Portuguese

Noun

flush m (plural flushes)

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