Flush vs Discharge - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between flush and discharge

is that flush is a group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees etc or flush can be a sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes or flush can be (poker) a hand consisting of all cards with the same suit while discharge is (symptom) (uncountable ) pus or exudate (other than blood) from a wound or orifice, usually due to infection or pathology.

As verbs the difference between flush and discharge

is that flush is to cause to take flight from concealment or flush can be to cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid while discharge is to accomplish or complete, as an obligation.

As an adjective flush

is smooth, even, aligned; not sticking out.

flush

English

(wikipedia flush)

Etymology 1

(etyl)

Noun

(es)

A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees etc.

* 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), The Faerie Queene , V.2:

As when a Faulcon hath with nimble flight / Flowne at a flush of Ducks foreby the brooke […].

Verb

(es)

To cause to take flight from concealment.

The hunters flushed the tiger from the canebrake.

To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover.

A covey of quail flushed from the undergrowth.

* W. Browne

flushing from one spray unto another

Etymology 2

Same as according to the American Heritage Dictionary

Adjective

(er)

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.

(typography) Short for flush left and right ; a body of text aligned with both its left and right margins.

Full of vigour; fresh; glowing; bright.

* Shakespeare

With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May.

Affluent; abounding; well furnished or suppled; hence, liberal; prodigal.

* Arbuthnot

Lord Strut was not very flush in ready.

Synonyms

* (typography) double-clean, flush left and right, forced, forced justified, force justified, justified

Derived terms

* flush left, flush right, flush left and right

Etymology 3

Probably from according to American Heritage Dictionary

Noun

(es)

A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.

* Ray

in manner of a wave or flush

Particularly, such a cleansing of a toilet.

A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.

* Tennyson

the flush of angered shame

Any tinge of red colour 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

Verb

(es)

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.

* John Gay

Nor flush with shame the passing virgin's cheek.

* Keats

Sudden a thought came like a full-blown rose, / Flushing his brow.

* 1925 , Fruit of the Flower , by

"Who plants a seed begets a bud, -- Extract of that same root; -- Why marvel at the hectic blood -- That flushes this wild fruit?"

To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water.

to flush the meadows

To excite, inflame.

* South

such things as can only feed his pride and flush his ambition

(of a toilet) To be cleansed by being flooded with generous quantities of water.

There must be somebody home: I just heard the toilet flushing .

(computing) To clear (a buffer) of its contents.

To flow and spread suddenly; to rush.

Blood flushes into the face.

* Boyle

the flushing noise of many waters

To show red; to shine suddenly; to glow.

* Milton

In her cheek, distemper flushing glowed.

(masonry) To fill in (joints); to point the level; to make them flush.

Usage notes

In sense “turn red with embarrassment”, (blush) is more common. More finely, in indicating the actual change, blush'' is more common – “He blushed with embarrassment” – but in indicating state, ''flushed is also common – “He was flushed with excitement”.

Synonyms

* (turn red with embarrassment) blush

Etymology 4

Probably from (etyl) , cognate with flux

Noun

(es)

(poker) A hand consisting of all cards with the same suit.

Derived terms

* busted flush * royal flush * straight flush

discharge

English

Verb

(discharg)

To accomplish or complete, as an obligation.

* 1610 , , act 3 scene 1

O most dear mistress, / The sun will set before I shall discharge / What I must strive to do.

To free of a debt, claim, obligation, responsibility, accusation, etc.; to absolve; to acquit; to clear.

* Dryden

Discharged of business, void of strife.

* L'Estrange

In one man's fault discharge another man of his duty.

To send away (a creditor) satisfied by payment; to pay one's debt or obligation to.

* Shakespeare

If he had / The present money to discharge the Jew.

To set aside; to annul; to dismiss.

* Macaulay

The order for Daly's attendance was discharged .

To expel or let go.

* H. Spencer

Feeling in other cases discharges itself in indirect muscular actions.

To let fly, as a missile; to shoot.

* Shakespeare

They do discharge their shot of courtesy.

(electricity) To release (an accumulated charge).

To relieve of an office or employment; to send away from service; to dismiss.

* Shakespeare

Discharge the common sort / With pay and thanks.

* Milton

Grindal was discharged the government of his see.

# (medicine) To release (an inpatient) from hospital.

# (military) To release (a member of the armed forces) from service.

To release legally from confinement; to set at liberty.

to discharge a prisoner

To operate (any weapon that fires a projectile, such as a shotgun or sling).

* Knolles

The galleys also did oftentimes, out of their prows, discharge their great pieces against the city.

* 1918 , (Edgar Rice Burroughs), Chapter IV

I ran forward, discharging my pistol into the creature's body in an effort to force it to relinquish its prey; but I might as profitably have shot at the sun.

To release (an auxiliary assumption) from the list of assumptions used in arguments, and return to the main argument.

To unload a ship or another means of transport.

To put forth, or remove, as a charge or burden; to take out, as that with which anything is loaded or filled.

to discharge a cargo

To give forth; to emit or send out.

A pipe discharges water.

To let fly; to give expression to; to utter.

He discharged a horrible oath.

(obsolete, Scotland) To prohibit; to forbid.

(Sir Walter Scott)

Noun

(wikipedia discharge)
(symptom) (uncountable ) pus or exudate (other than blood) from a wound or orifice, usually due to infection or pathology

the act of accomplishing (an obligation); performance

* 1610 , , act 2 scene 1

Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come / In yours and my discharge .

the act of expelling or letting go

(electricity) the act of releasing an accumulated charge

(medicine) the act of releasing an inpatient from hospital

(military) the act of releasing a member of the armed forces from service

(hydrology) the volume of water transported by a river in a certain amount of time, usually in units of m³/s (cubic meters per second)