flush down
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb: 1. To cause something to flow away by a sudden, strong stream of water: To use a rush of water to clean or remove something, typically by sending it through a drain or pipe. 2. To dispose of something by making it flow away with water: To get rid of an item, often waste, by using water to carry it down a drain.
Usage
This verb is transitive and typically requires an object (the thing being disposed of). It is often used in the context of plumbing, toilets, or cleaning. * Please flush the expired medicine down the toilet. * The plumber used a powerful hose to flush the debris down the drain.
Examples
- Basic Usage:
- You should not flush sanitary products down the toilet.
- He flushed the food scraps down the garbage disposal.
- Figurative/Causal Usage:
- The heavy rain flushed the silt down the hillside and into the stream.
Advanced Usage
- "to flush something down": This is the standard phrasal verb construction. The object can be placed between "flush" and "down" or after "down," though placing it between is more common.
- Flush it down. (Common)
- Flush down the old paint. (Also correct)
Variants and Related Words
- Flush (verb): To cleanse or rid by a sudden flow of liquid. (e.g., )
- Wash down (phrasal verb): To clean by spraying with water; to aid in swallowing food or drink with a liquid. (e.g., )
Synonyms
- Wash away
- Rinse away
- Dispose of via drainage
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Flush out: To force something or someone out of hiding or a concealed place, often with water or pressure.
- The police used tear gas to flush out the suspect.
Related Idioms
- Down the drain: Wasted or lost.
- All our hard work went down the drain. (Note: This idiom uses the concept of something being flushed away but is not a direct use of the phrasal verb "flush down.")
Verb
- flow freely
- The body washed down the river