Blush vs. Flush: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Blush refers to the reddening of the face from embarrassment, while flush is a broader term for redness due to various causes like heat or exertion.
Key Differences
Blush is typically a reaction to emotional stimuli, like embarrassment or shyness, causing a noticeable reddening of the face. Flush, however, can result from various factors including emotional responses, temperature changes, or physical exertion, leading to a widespread reddening of the skin.
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Blushing is often involuntary and linked to feelings of self-consciousness or bashfulness. Flushing, in contrast, might not have an emotional trigger and can be a response to environmental factors or physiological conditions.
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The physiological process of blushing involves the dilation of blood vessels in the face due to emotional triggers. Flushing, on the other hand, can occur in different parts of the body and may be caused by external heat, alcohol consumption, or medical conditions.
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Blush is commonly associated with youth and innocence, often seen as a gentle, modest reaction. Flush, meanwhile, can indicate a more intense response and is not always associated with modesty or shyness.
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Blush is generally limited to the facial area and is more subtle. Flush can be more pronounced, covering larger areas of the skin and sometimes accompanied by a sensation of warmth.
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Comparison Chart
Trigger
Emotional (e.g., embarrassment, shyness)
Various (e.g., heat, exertion, alcohol)
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Physiological Cause
Blood vessel dilation due to emotions
Blood vessel dilation due to various causes
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Blush and Flush Definitions
Blush
Blush means to turn red in the face from modesty or shyness.
She began to blush when her crush complimented her.
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Flush
Flush can also refer to a sudden flow, like a rush of water.
The flush of water cleared the drain.
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Blush
In cosmetics, blush is a color applied to cheeks.
She applied a pink blush to add color to her face.
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Blush
Blush sometimes means to become slightly red.
The cold wind made her cheeks blush.
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Flush
To glow, especially with a reddish color
The sky flushed pink at dawn.
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Blush
To become red in the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame; flush.
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Blush
A reddening of the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame.
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Flush
To clean, rinse, or empty with a rapid flow of a liquid, especially water
Flush a toilet.
Flush a wound with iodine.
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Blush
Makeup used on the face and especially on the cheekbones to give a usually rosy tint. Also called blusher.
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Flush
To remove or eliminate
"The weakness in demand and productivity will at least ... flush out some of the inflation premium that has been built into interest rates" (Fortune).
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Blush
An act of blushing; a red glow on the face caused by shame, modesty, etc.
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Flush
To drive or force into the open
The police fired tear gas to flush out the terrorists.
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Blush
A pale pink wine made by removing the dark grape skins at the required point during fermentation.
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Flush
A blush or glow
"here and there a flush of red on the lip of a little cloud" (Willa Cather).
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Blush
(intransitive) To become red in the face (and sometimes experience an associated feeling of warmth), especially due to shyness, shame, excitement, or embarrassment.
The love scene made him blush to the roots of his hair / to the tips of his ears.
He wasn't used to this much attention, so he blushed as he saw dozens of pairs of eyes watching him.
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Flush
A hand in which all the cards are of the same suit but not in numerical sequence, ranked above a straight and below a full house in poker.
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Blush
(copulative) To change skin color in the face (to a particular shade).
When he saw it, he blushed a beet red.
I wasn't surprised, but it was embarrassing enough that I blushed a little pink.
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Blush
(transitive) To express or make known by blushing.
Looking at me with a knowing glare, she blushed her discomfort with the situation.
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Blush
(intransitive) To have a warm and delicate colour, like some roses and other flowers.
The garden was full of blossoms that blushed in myriad shades to form a beautiful carpet of color.
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Flush
A group of birds that have suddenly started up from undergrowth, trees, etc.
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Blush
Of dope or varnish: to develop an undesirable white precipitate on the surface, due to being applied in humid conditions.
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Flush
A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.
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Blush
To become suffused with red in the cheeks, as from a sense of shame, modesty, or confusion; to become red from such cause, as the cheeks or face.
To the nuptial bowerI led her blushing like the morn.
In the presence of the shameless and unblushing, the young offender is ashamed to blush.
He would strokeThe head of modest and ingenuous worth,That blushed at its own praise.
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Blush
To grow red; to have a red or rosy color.
The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set,But stayed, and made the western welkin blush.
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Flush
(computing) The process of clearing the contents of a buffer or cache.
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Blush
To have a warm and delicate color, as some roses and other flowers.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen.
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Flush
A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.
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Blush
To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to make roseate.
To blush and beautify the cheek again.
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Flush
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
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Flush
A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement, animation, etc.
A flush of joy
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Blush
A suffusion of the cheeks or face with red, as from a sense of shame, confusion, or modesty.
The rosy blush of love.
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Flush
(skiing) A line of poles or obstacles that a skier must weave between.
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Blush
A red or reddish color; a rosy tint.
Light's last blushes tinged the distant hills.
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Blush
A rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health
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Flush
(transitive) To cause to take flight from concealment.
The dogs flushed the deer from the woods.
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Blush
Sudden reddening of the face (as from embarrassment or guilt or shame or modesty)
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Flush
(intransitive) To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover.
A covey of quail flushed from the undergrowth.
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Blush
Turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame;
The girl blushed when a young man whistled as she walked by
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Flush
(transitive) To cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid.
Flush the injury with plenty of water.
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Flush
(transitive) Particularly, to cleanse a toilet by introducing a large amount of water.
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Blush
Blush can refer to a reddish color or light.
The sunset had a beautiful blush hue.
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Flush
(intransitive) 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.
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Blush
Blush can indicate a modest or embarrassed reaction.
He couldn't help but blush during the awkward conversation.
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Flush
To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water.
To flush the meadows
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Flush
To be cleansed by being flooded with generous quantities of water.
There must be somebody home: I just heard the toilet flushing.
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Flush
To write (the data) to primary storage, clearing it from the buffer or cache.
Flush to disk
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Flush
(masonry) To fill in (joints); to point the level; to make them flush.
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Flush
To operate a placer mine, where the continuous supply of water is insufficient, by holding back the water, and releasing it periodically in a flood.
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Flush
(mining) To fill underground spaces, especially in coal mines, with material carried by water, which, after drainage, constitutes a compact mass.
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Flush
Smooth, even, aligned; not sticking out.
Sand down the excess until it is flush with the surface.
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Flush
(typography) nodot=1: a body of text aligned with both its left and right margins.
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Flush
Affluent; abounding; well furnished or suppled; hence, liberal; prodigal.
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Flush
To flow and spread suddenly; to rush; as, blood flushes into the face.
The flushing noise of many waters.
It flushes violently out of the cock.
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Flush
To snow red; to shine suddenly; to glow.
In her cheek, distemper flushing glowed.
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Flush
To start up suddenly; to take wing as a bird.
Flushing from one spray unto another.
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Flush
To cause to be full; to flood; to overflow; to overwhelm with water; as, to flush the meadows; to flood for the purpose of cleaning; as, to flush a sewer.
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Flush
To cause the blood to rush into (the face); to put to the blush, or to cause to glow with excitement.
Nor flush with shame the passing virgin's cheek.
Sudden a thought came like a full-blown rose,Flushing his brow.
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Flush
To make suddenly or temporarily red or rosy, as if suffused with blood.
How faintly flushed. how phantom fair,Was Monte Rosa, hanging there!
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Flush
To excite; to animate; to stir.
Such things as can only feed his pride and flush his ambition.
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Flush
To cause to flow; to draw water from, or pour it over or through (a pond, meadow, sewer, etc.); to cleanse by means of a rush of water.
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Flush
To operate a placer mine, where the continuous supply of water is insufficient, by holding back the water, and releasing it periodically in a flood.
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Flush
A sudden flowing; a rush which fills or overflows, as of water for cleansing purposes.
In manner of a wave or flush.
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Flush
A suffusion of the face with blood, as from fear, shame, modesty, or intensity of feeling of any kind; a blush; a glow.
The flush of angered shame.
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Flush
Any tinge of red color like that produced on the cheeks by a sudden rush of blood; as, the flush on the side of a peach; the flush on the clouds at sunset.
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Flush
A sudden flood or rush of feeling; a thrill of excitement. animation, etc.; as, a flush of joy.
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Flush
A hand of cards, all of the same suit; - especially significant in poker, where five cards of the same suit constitute a flush, which beats a straight but is beaten by a full house or four of a kind.
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Flush
Full of vigor; fresh; glowing; bright.
With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May.
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Flush
Affluent; abounding; well furnished or suppled; hence, liberal; prodigal.
Lord Strut was not very flush in ready.
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Flush
Unbroken or even in surface; on a level with the adjacent surface; forming a continuous surface; as, a flush panel; a flush joint.
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Flush
A rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health
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Flush
Sudden brief sensation of heat (associated with menopause and some mental disorders)
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Flush
The swift release of a store of affective force;
They got a great bang out of it
What a boot!
He got a quick rush from injecting heroin
He does it for kicks
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Oct 19, 2023
Flush
A sudden rapid flow (as of water);
He heard the flush of a toilet
There was a little gush of blood
She attacked him with an outpouring of words
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Flush
Sudden reddening of the face (as from embarrassment or guilt or shame or modesty)
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Flush
Turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame;
The girl blushed when a young man whistled as she walked by
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Flush
Rinse, clean, or empty with a liquid;
Flush the wound with antibiotics
Purge the old gas tank
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Flush
Of a surface exactly even with an adjoining one, forming the same plane;
A door flush with the wall
The bottom of the window is flush with the floor
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Flush
Having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value;
An affluent banker
A speculator flush with cash
Not merely rich but loaded
Moneyed aristocrats
Wealthy corporations
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Flush
Flush means to become red, particularly in the face, from heat or emotion.
After the run, his face was flush with exertion.
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Nov 18, 2023
Flush
To flush is to cleanse something with a flow of water.
Please flush the toilet after use.
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Nov 18, 2023
Flush
Flush can describe a reddening of the skin due to various causes.
The fever caused her skin to flush.
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Flush
In carpentry, flush means being level or even with a surface.
The door was installed flush with the wall.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What causes someone to blush?
Emotional factors like embarrassment or shyness.
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Is flushing always related to emotion?
No, it can be due to physical or environmental factors.
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What does flush mean in terms of skin reaction?
Reddening of the skin due to various causes.
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Can flush occur on different body parts?
Yes, it can happen on the face or other parts of the body.
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What emotions typically cause blushing?
Modesty, embarrassment, or attraction.
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Can exercise cause flushing?
Yes, physical exertion can lead to a flushed appearance.
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Can blushing be controlled?
It's often involuntary and linked to emotional reactions.
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Is blushing always a sign of shyness?
Not always, but it is commonly associated with shyness.
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Does flush have a meaning in plumbing?
Yes, it means to cleanse with a flow of water.
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Does blush only occur on the face?
Typically, yes, blushing is confined to the facial area.
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Can both blush and flush be involuntary?
Yes, both can occur involuntarily.
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What might cause flushing besides heat or exercise?
Factors like alcohol consumption, fever, or certain medical conditions.
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Does flush have a carpentry meaning?
Yes, it means level or even with a surface.
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Can someone blush out of happiness?
Yes, happiness can also trigger blushing.
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Can cosmetics be referred to as blush?
Yes, blush is also a cosmetic product for coloring cheeks.
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Are blush and flush the same in intensity?
No, flush is often more intense than a blush.
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Nov 18, 2023
Do blush and flush have different emotional connotations?
Yes, blush is often associated with modesty, while flush can have varied connotations.
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Nov 18, 2023
Is blush used in any other context than skin color?
Yes, it can describe a light reddish color.
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Nov 18, 2023
Is flush always a sign of a health issue?
Not always, but it can be a symptom in some cases.
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Can anxiety cause both blushing and flushing?
Yes, anxiety can lead to both blushing and flushing.
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Nov 18, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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