flushing
flushing — verb
- flushingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- flushings3rd person singular
- flushinging-ing form
- flushingedpast simple
1. When your face becomes red because you feel embarrassed, hot, or have had too mu
When your face becomes red because you feel embarrassed, hot, or have had too much alcohol to drink.
Saira flushed with embarrassment when she spilled coffee on the manager's desk.
flush with embarrassment
Anjali's cheeks flushed bright red after she ran up three flights of stairs.
During the wedding dinner, Alessia's face flushed bright red after just a few sips of champagne.
The young man flushed and looked away when the audience began to clap for him.
- pale
to become whiter or lighter in skin colour, often from fear or illness
文法句型
flush + (adverb of cause)
用法筆記
This sense is intransitive only — you flush, not 'flush something'. Common causes are shame, heat, exercise, or alcohol. The colour is most visible on light skin, but speakers use the verb for anyone whose face reddens due to blood flow.
常見錯誤
2. To make water flow through a toilet bowl, cleaning it and moving the waste away,
To make water flow through a toilet bowl, cleaning it and moving the waste away, or (of a toilet) to be cleaned in this way.
Daniel flushed the toilet and then washed his hands at the sink.
flush the toilet — transitive use
The toilet in the apartment won't flush because the pipe is blocked.
toilet flushes — intransitive use
Beatriz reminded the children always to flush after using the bathroom.
Please flush the toilet every time you finish using it.
Samuel pressed the handle but the old toilet would not flush properly.
- flush down
phrasal verb emphasising disposal, e.g. 'flush down the toilet'
文法句型
flush + noun (the toilet)
noun (toilet) + flushes
用法筆記
This sense works both ways: you flush a toilet (transitive) and a toilet flushes (intransitive). In everyday speech 'flush' alone often implies the toilet — 'Did you flush?' means 'Did you flush the toilet?'
常見錯誤
3. To drop something unwanted into the toilet bowl and push the handle so that flow
To drop something unwanted into the toilet bowl and push the handle so that flowing water takes it into the plumbing system.
Shirin flushed the expired medicine down the toilet as the label instructed.
flush + object + down the toilet
The sign says never to flush wet wipes because they block the pipes.
James accidentally flushed his gold ring down the bathroom sink.
The instructions clearly state not to flush anything except toilet paper.
- dispose of
more general — can mean throwing away in any way, not just via the toilet
文法句型
flush + noun + down + the + toilet / drain
用法筆記
Unlike the general toilet sense (sense 2), this sense specifically focuses on disposing of an object via the toilet or drain. The object is the thing being thrown away, not the toilet itself.
常見錯誤
flushing — noun
1. A district within Queens, on Long Island in the state of New York. It hosted the
A district within Queens, on Long Island in the state of New York. It hosted the World's Fairs of 1939 to 1940 and 1964 to 1965, and now holds the annual U.S. Open tennis tournament. A town in the Netherlands also bears the name Flushing.
The U.S. Open tennis tournament is held every year in Flushing, New York.
Flushing, New York — place name with state
Flushing in Queens has one of the largest Chinatown communities in New York City.
Many immigrants first settled in Flushing because of its affordable housing and good transport links.
The 1964 World's Fair in Flushing attracted millions of visitors from around the globe.
用法筆記
This is a proper noun used as a place name. It is always capitalised. When referring to the World's Fair site or tennis venue, 'Flushing' usually means the Queens neighbourhood unless the Dutch town is specified.