flush.
A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc.
Meaning & usage
A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc.
Where this word comes from
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.
To cause to take flight from concealment.
The dogs flushed the deer from the woods.
To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover.
A covey of quail flushed from the undergrowth.
Where this word comes from
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.
Smooth, even, aligned; not sticking out.
Sand down the excess until it is flush with the surface.
Wealthy or well off.
He just got a bonus so he's flush today.
Ellipsis of flush left and right: a body of text aligned with both its left and right margins.
Full of vigor; fresh; glowing; bright.
Affluent; abounding; well furnished or supplied; hence, liberal; prodigal.
Where this word comes from
Same as Etymology 3, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
Suddenly and completely.
I landed flush on the couch.
Where this word comes from
Same as Etymology 3, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.
Particularly, such a cleansing of a toilet.
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.
the flush on the side of a peach; the flush on the clouds at sunset
A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement, animation, etc.
a flush of joy
A line of poles or obstacles that a skier must weave between.
Where this word comes from
Probably from Etymology 1, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
To cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid.
Flush the injury with plenty of water.
Particularly, to cleanse a toilet by introducing a large amount of water.
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.
To cause to blush.
To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water.
to flush the meadows
To excite, inflame.
To be cleansed by being flooded with generous quantities of water.
There must be somebody home: I just heard the toilet flushing.
To clear (a buffer or cache) of its contents.
To write (the data) to primary storage, clearing it from the buffer or cache.
flush to disk
To flow and spread suddenly; to rush.
Blood flushes into the face.
To show red; to shine suddenly; to glow.
To fill in (joints); to point the level; to make them flush.
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.
To fill underground spaces, especially in coal mines, with material carried by water, which, after drainage, constitutes a compact mass.
To dispose or be disposed of by flushing down a toilet.
To move, shift or align to one side.
Where this word comes from
Probably from Etymology 1, according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
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.
Where this word comes from
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.
A hand consisting of all cards with the same suit.
Where this word comes from
Probably from Middle French flus (“flow”), cognate with flux.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.