What does flush mean?
Flush is a versatile English word whose meanings revolve around two core ideas: sudden color and sudden flow. As a verb, it most often describes a face turning red from embarrassment, heat, exertion, or emotion — 'she flushed with pleasure at the compliment.' Its second major verb sense is cleansing: flushing a toilet, or flushing out a hidden enemy or toxin with water or force. As a noun, flush can mean that visible reddening itself (as in hot flushes during menopause), a winning five-card hand of a single suit in poker, or a sudden burst of new growth or abundance. As an adjective, flush describes surfaces that are perfectly level or even with each other, a staple term in carpentry and typography. The word carries warm, physical connotations of vitality and honesty — a genuine reaction shows itself as a flush. It is everyday vocabulary, equally at home in conversation, medicine, games, and design.
To become red in the face, especially from emotion, heat, or exertion.
"Her cheeks flushed as she stepped onto the stage."
To rinse or cleanse something, typically a toilet, by releasing a sudden flow of water.
"Please flush after using the facilities."
A sudden reddening of the face or skin; a hot flush.
"A hot flush swept over her in the middle of the meeting."
In card games such as poker, a hand of five cards all of the same suit.
"He won the pot with a flush of hearts."
Used mainly for the reddening sense, especially in medical contexts such as hot flushes.
"The patient reported frequent hot flushes throughout the night."
The poker hand called a flush and the redness on your cheek come from different Latin roots — but both describe things that 'flow' together.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flush
The word flush entered English in the early sixteenth century, likely from the verb flux, which came through Old French from Latin fluxus, meaning 'flowing'. This same Latin root gives English words such as fluid, influx, and influenza. The reddening sense may derive from the idea of blood flowing to the face, while the cleaning sense clearly reflects the notion of a rushing flow of water. A separate, later sense — level or even with a surface — appears to have developed independently in English.
Related word forms
How flush is actually used
Flush is informal-to-neutral in register. In medical contexts, 'hot flushes' is standard British usage for menopausal symptoms, while American English typically uses 'hot flashes'. The card-game sense is universal among players. The adjective sense meaning 'level with a surface' ('the cabinet sits flush against the wall') is common in carpentry and design.
Easily confused with flush
Flesh refers to soft body tissue, while flush means a reddening or a surge of water; the words share similar sounds but unrelated meanings.