flush1

 
Pronunciation: /flʌʃ/

verb

  • 1 [no object] (of a person’s skin, face, etc.) become red and hot, typically as the result of illness or strong emotion: Rachel flushed angrily
  • [with object] make red and hot: a wave of colour flushed his cheeks
  • glow or cause to glow with warm colour or light: [with object]: the sky was flushed with the gold of dawn
  • 2 [with object] cleanse (something, especially a toilet) by causing large quantities of water to pass through it: she flushed the loo the nurse flushed out the catheter
  • [no object] (of a toilet) be cleansed by flushing: Cally heard the toilet flush
  • [with object and adverbial of direction] remove or dispose of (an object or substance) by flushing: I flushed the pills down the lavatory the kidneys require more water to flush out waste products
  • [with object and adverbial of direction] cause (a liquid) to flow through something: 0.3 ml of saline is gently flushed through the tube
  • 3 [with object and adverbial of direction] drive (a bird, especially a game bird, or an animal) from its cover: the grouse were flushed from the woods
  • cause to be revealed; force into the open: they’re trying to flush him out of hiding
  • 4 [no object] (of a plant) send out fresh shoots: the plant had started to flush by late March

noun

  • 1a reddening of the face, skin, etc., typically caused by illness or strong emotion: a flush of embarrassment rose to her cheeks
  • an area of warm colour or light: the bird has a pinkish flush on the breast
  • 2 [in singular] a sudden rush of intense emotion: I was carried away in a flush of enthusiasm
  • a period when something is new or particularly fresh and vigorous: he is no longer in the first flush of youth
  • a sudden abundance or spate of something: the frogs feast on the great flush of insects
  • a fresh growth of leaves, flowers, or fruit.
  • 3an act of cleansing something, especially a toilet, with a sudden flow of water: an old-fashioned toilet uses six or seven gallons a flush
  • the device used for flushing a toilet: he pressed the flush absent-mindedly
  • [as modifier] denoting a type of toilet that has a flushing device.
  • a sudden flow: the melting snow provides a flush of water
  • 4the action of driving an animal or game bird from its cover: labradors retrieve the birds after the flush

Derivatives

flushable

adjective

flusher

noun

Origin:

Middle English (in the sense 'move rapidly, spring up', especially of a bird 'fly up suddenly'): symbolic, fl- frequently beginning words connected with sudden movement; perhaps influenced by flash1 and blush