flow
to move along in a stream: The river flowed slowly to the sea.
to circulate: blood flowing through one's veins.
to stream or well forth: Warmth flows from the sun.
to issue or proceed from a source: Orders flowed from the office.
to menstruate.
to come or go as in a stream: A constant stream of humanity flowed by.
to proceed continuously and smoothly: Melody flowed from the violin.
to hang loosely at full length: Her hair flowed over her shoulders.
to abound in something: The tavern flowed with wine.
to rise and advance, as the tide (opposed to ebb).
to cause or permit to flow: to flow paint on a wall before brushing.
to cover with water or other liquid; flood.
an act of flowing.
movement in or as if in a stream.
the rate of flowing.
the volume of fluid that flows through a passage of any given section during a unit of time: Oil flow of the well was 500 barrels a day.
something that flows; stream.
an outpouring or discharge of something, as in a stream: a flow of blood.
an overflowing; flood.
the rise of the tide (opposed to ebb).
Machinery. progressive distortion of a metal object under continuous service at high temperature.
Physics. the transference of energy: heat flow.
Origin of flow
1synonym study For flow
Other words for flow
Other words from flow
- flow·a·ble, adjective
- flow·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- re·flow, noun, verb
- un·der·flow, noun
Words that may be confused with flow
- floe, flow
Words Nearby flow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use flow in a sentence
This change could help to crack down on the unmoderated flow of information across groups, which can lead to spam and misinformation spreading quickly.
Ominously, the debris flow risk is shown to be high in areas recently burned, such as in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
California wildfires may give way to massive mudslides | Ula Chrobak | September 17, 2020 | Popular-ScienceGreece and Cyprus are part of the EU, while Turkey is central to Europe’s efforts to curb the flow of migrants.
Butterfly Effect: The Next U.S.-Russia Conflict Theater Could be the Mediterranean | Charu Kasturi | September 17, 2020 | OzyThat can include changes in the flow, temperature or saltiness of water, he notes.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them | Alison Pearce Stevens | September 17, 2020 | Science News For StudentsBridgewater has been moving into gold and inflation-linked bonds in its All Weather portfolio, diversifying the countries it invests in and finding more stocks with stable cash flow.
Ray Dalio issues stark warning about U.S. dollar’s future as global reserve currency | Claire Zillman, reporter | September 16, 2020 | Fortune
But the jokes flow at such a torrential pace that duds are soon forgotten; the best are even Spamalot-worthy.
Ebb and flow, checks and balances, the center would hold, et cetera.
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall | Matt Gallagher | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“The lies of the government shocked us,” says Fatima, as the tears flow slowly from her eyes and down her cheek.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda | Ruth Michaelson | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut before a new tide of tourists can flow from Miami to Havana, Cuba will need to build more runways.
Speak to the friends and people you need to root out in life and let that conversation flow.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Protesting | Rawiya Kameir, Judnick Mayard | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe volcanic eruptions of the mountains on the west broke down its barriers, and let its waters flow.
And Tom, aware that he winced, was also aware that something in his life congealed and stopped its normal flow.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodThe arrows represent the flow of money from each of these four categories to the others.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsIts entrance into and exit from banks is a flow, but not a circulation against goods.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsTherefore, the total circulation exceeds the total flow from and to banks by the amount flowing through "nondepositors."
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur Phillips
British Dictionary definitions for flow
/ (fləʊ) /
(of liquids) to move or be conveyed as in a stream
(of blood) to circulate around the body
to move or progress freely as if in a stream: the crowd flowed into the building
to proceed or be produced continuously and effortlessly: ideas flowed from her pen
to show or be marked by smooth or easy movement
to hang freely or loosely: her hair flowed down her back
to be present in abundance: wine flows at their parties
an informal word for menstruate
(of tide water) to advance or rise: Compare ebb (def. 1)
(tr) to cover or swamp with liquid; flood
(of rocks such as slate) to yield to pressure without breaking so that the structure and arrangement of the constituent minerals are altered
the act, rate, or manner of flowing: a fast flow
a continuous stream or discharge
continuous progression
the advancing of the tide
a stream of molten or solidified lava
the amount of liquid that flows in a given time
an informal word for menstruation
Scot
a marsh or swamp
an inlet or basin of the sea
(capital when part of a name): Scapa Flow
flow of spirits natural happiness
Origin of flow
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with flow
see ebb and flow; go with the flow.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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