gush

[ guhsh ]

verb (used without object)

1. to flow out or issue suddenly, copiously, or forcibly, as a fluid from confinement:

   Water gushed from the broken pipe.

   Synonyms: flood, stream, pour

2. to express oneself extravagantly or emotionally; talk effusively:

   She gushed with pride over her new grandchild.

3. to have a sudden, copious flow, as of blood or tears.

verb (used with object)

1. to emit suddenly, forcibly, or copiously.

   Synonyms: spurt

noun

1. a sudden, copious outflow of a fluid.
2. the fluid emitted.
3. effusive and often insincere language or behavior.

gush

/ ɡʌʃ /

verb

1. to pour out or cause to pour out suddenly and profusely, usually with a rushing sound
2. to act or utter in an overeffusive, affected, or sentimental manner

noun

1. a sudden copious flow or emission, esp of liquid
2. something that flows out or is emitted
3. an extravagant and insincere expression of admiration, sentiment, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈgushing, adjective
• ˈgushingly, adverb

Other Words From

• out·gush verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of gush¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; probably of expressive origin; gust ¹, rush ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of gush¹

C14: probably of imitative origin; compare Old Norse gjósa, Icelandic gusa

Synonym Study

See flow.

Example Sentences

It was then that I finally felt a gush of joy, as after all that steady deliberation, new solutions that hadn’t been noticed before starting falling out naturally.

From Nautilus

Ask most designers for their mentors and out will gush a waterfall of names.

From The Daily Beast

On TripAdvisor, visitors gush about the tour and the supernatural experiences encountered during their stay.

From The Daily Beast

In a gush of pro-America, anti–Soviet Union glory, the fourth installment in the Rocky saga pulls out all the stops.

From The Daily Beast

Viewers of a 2011 60 Minutes segment saw Amaitis gush about his relationship with legendary sports bettor Billy Walters.

From The Daily Beast

In a nation of couch potatoes, advertisers know the value of flogging their brands when the orchestra starts to gush.

From The Daily Beast

Dr. May was glad to see that a gush of tears followed this exclamation, as Norman hid his face under the coverings.

From Project Gutenberg

It will gush from my heart—I must strike right here—strong and quick—it will not pain much.

From Project Gutenberg

Scarce a leaf stirs; only now and again a great, cool gush of air that makes my papers fly, and is gone.

From Project Gutenberg

I glanced through the letter again, and I felt a warm gush of pity for our poor deluded Liosha.

From Project Gutenberg

The honest orderliness and dignified calmness of his life, as I read it, are quite refreshing in this time of rush and gush.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cascade
• flush
• pour
• spew
• spout

More About Gush

What does gush mean?

To gush is to flow forcefully and rapidly. Water gushes out of a firehose. Gush can also be used as a noun referring to such a flow.

Gush also commonly means to talk about a particular thing in an emotional, enthusiastic, unreserved way. When used this way, it is often phrased as gush about or gush over.

Example: I’m sorry to keep gushing about my baby cousin, but she’s just so adorable!

Where does gush come from?

The first records of gush come from around the 1400s. It comes from Middle English, but there are similar words in several other languages. Gush may have been formed through onomatopoeia, in which the word itself sounds like what it describes. In this case, the whooshing sound of rushing water.

Gush almost sounds like a combination of gust and rush, and both are used in similar ways, but the literal sense of gush is typically only applied to liquids. It emphasizes that the flow of a liquid is fast and strong: the water wasn’t just pouring out, it was gushing! You never want blood to gush from a wound. This sense can also be used figuratively, as in Our product is selling out, and the money is gushing in.  

In the sense of showing unrestrained enthusiasm when talking about something, gush is typically used when someone is talking about a topic they’re passionate about and they simply can’t stop themselves from saying positive things about it. People often apologize for gushing after giving a person they admire a lot of compliments upon meeting them for the first time.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to gush?

• gusher (noun)
• gushing (adjective)
• gushingly (adverb)

What are some synonyms for gush?

• burst
• rush
• rave

What are some words that often get used in discussing gush?

 

• water
• liquid
• blood
• flood
• praise
• adore
• compliment

How is gush used in real life?

Gush is most commonly used in the context of a strong torrent of water. Its other main use can be seen as the action of unleashing a flood of enthusiasm or adoration.

A pipe burst in our road at about 12pm today, water was gushing out so much that it filled a 150L container in less than a minute. It only got closed now, almost FIVE HOURS LATER 😭 Remind me again how the city is doing everything it can to save water 🙂

— Azrah (@azz_ismail) January 30, 2018

Am I one of the few who do not gush over engagements or marriages? Like yeah, congrats on your engagement or marriage! But what comes after is more important, and won’t be all butterflies & flowers down the road.

— Caitlin (@Caitlinkins) March 22, 2020

I guess that eight week stretch when we were all gushing over Baby Yoda was something of an anomaly.

— Mike G (@goedharted) April 2, 2020

 

 

Try using gush!

Is gush used correctly in the following sentence? 

When the dam broke, the water came gushing through in a wild rush.