flush out(redirected from flush it out)
1. To use liquids to expel something from something else. A noun or pronoun can be used between "flush" and "out." If you get debris in your eyes, be sure to flush them out with water immediately.
2. To startle someone or something out of hiding. A noun or pronoun can be used between "flush" and "out." That loud crash flushed a stray cat from under our porch.
3. To force someone or something to leave a hiding place. A noun or pronoun can be used between "flush" and "out." We need a SWAT team to flush the criminal out of the building.
flush something out
to clean something out with a flow of liquid. Flush the fuel line out to clean it. Please flush out the fuel line and clean it.
1. To empty or clean something by a flow of water or liquid: After coming in contact with the caustic substance, she flushed out her eye, which was red and puffy. The school nurse flushed the child's eyes out after he got fingerpaint in them.
2. To cause something to leave or be removed from something with a flow of water or liquid: She ran to the sink to flush out the dirt from her cut. My tears flushed the sand out of my eye.
3. To frighten someone or something from a concealed place: The golden retriever jumped into the reeds and flushed out the ducks. The passing car flushed the birds out of the thicket.
4. To drive or force someone into the open: The sniper is hiding in one of the buildings to the south and won't be easy to flush out. The army pledged to flush all insurgents out of the village.