What does gushed mean?
Gushed is the past tense and past participle of gush, and it describes a sudden, abundant flow of liquid or gas, as when water gushed from a pipe. It also describes a person speaking with an unguarded burst of emotion, enthusiasm, or excitement, often in a way that suggests eagerness or even excess. The word is useful because it captures movement and intensity at the same time: a literal gush is forceful and difficult to contain, while a figurative gush is an outpouring of feelings or words that the speaker has not fully restrained. In British and American English, gushed is used in both senses, although the figurative sense is especially common in informal speech and narrative writing.
verb (past tense and past participle of gush)Gushed means that liquid or gas flowed out suddenly and in a large stream. It can also describe someone speaking with sudden, unguarded enthusiasm or emotion.
- To flow out suddenly and abundantly, especially as a liquid or gas.
- To speak or write with sudden, unguarded enthusiasm, emotion, or excitement.
"After hearing the news, she gushed with excitement about the journey she had finally planned."
"Water gushed through the broken pipe and flooded the corridor."
"The coach gushed about her team's victory, interrupting the press conference with excited praise."
From a gush of water to a gush of emotion, one word captures the moment a restraint suddenly breaks.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of gushed
Gushed comes from the English verb gush, which appears in Middle English and ultimately has Germanic roots associated with flowing or pouring out. Related Germanic forms include German gießen and Dutch gieten, which developed meanings involving pouring or causing to flow. Over time, English gush acquired both its literal sense of a sudden flow and its figurative sense of an uninhibited outpouring of speech, emotion, or enthusiasm.
How gushed is actually used
The literal sense is neutral and commonly describes a sudden flow of liquid or gas. The figurative sense is informal to mildly literary and can suggest excessive enthusiasm, excitement, or emotional openness.