flush

Flush is a word with several related meanings across different fields. In everyday language it often refers to a reddening of the skin, especially the face, caused by heat, exertion, embarrassment, illness, or alcohol. It can also describe the act of clearing waste or debris from a system by forcing water or another liquid through it.

In plumbing and maintenance, flushing means sending a rapid flow of liquid through a pipe, container, or circuit to remove unwanted material. Examples include flushing a toilet, flushing a radiator, or flushing a irrigation line. Medical contexts sometimes use the term to describe cleansing a body cavity or administering a washout.

In construction and carpentry, flush describes surfaces that lie in the same plane or are level with each other. A flush finish or flush-mounted component is aligned flush with adjacent surfaces rather than protruding.

In card games, flush denotes a hand of five cards of the same suit, regardless of rank. In poker, a flush ranks above a straight and below a full house; a straight flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit, which is even stronger.

In computing and data management, to flush means to force data from a temporary storage area to its final destination, or to clear a buffer or cache. Flushing ensures that recent data are written to storage or that stale data are discarded, maintaining consistency and reliability.