flow
Americanverb (used without object)
-
flows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flowed,
past participle, past
-
flowing
present participle
-
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.
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to issue or proceed from a source.
Orders flowed from the office.
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to menstruate.
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to come or go as in a stream.
A constant stream of humanity flowed by.
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to proceed continuously and smoothly.
Melody flowed from the violin.
- Synonyms:
- run
-
to hang loosely at full length.
Her hair flowed over her shoulders.
-
to abound in something.
The tavern flowed with wine.
- Synonyms:
- teem
-
to rise and advance, as the tide (opposed to ebb).
verb (used with object)
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flows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flowed,
past participle, past
-
flowing
present participle
-
to cause or permit to flow.
to flow paint on a wall before brushing.
-
to cover with water or other liquid; flood.
noun
-
flows
plural
-
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.
verb
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(of liquids) to move or be conveyed as in a stream
-
(of blood) to circulate around the body
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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
-
(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
noun
-
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
-
-
a marsh or swamp
-
an inlet or basin of the sea
-
( capital when part of a name )
Scapa Flow
-
-
natural happiness
Usage
What is basic definition of flow? Flow means to move along in a stream, as water does. Flow also means to circulate, as air does. Flow is used as a noun to mean movement as if in a stream. Flow has several other senses as a verb and a noun. When something flows, it moves like water in a stream. When used literally, flow is almost always used to describe the movement of liquids or things that act like fluids. Flow is also often used figuratively to mean to move smoothly like water or a liquid.
- Real-life examples: Water flows through pipes. Magma flows out of a volcano. People hope traffic flows through a city so they don’t get stuck in a traffic jam.
- Used in a sentence: Roger lied so much that the lies flowed out of his mouth.
- Used in a sentence: The huge dam redirects the flow of the river away from the city.
- Used in a sentence: The heart makes sure blood flows throughout the body.
- Used in a sentence: A flow of shoppers streamed into the mall.
Synonym Usage
Flow, gush, spout, spurt refer to certain of the movements characteristic of fluids. Flow is the general term: Water flows. A stream of blood flows. To gush is to rush forth copiously from a cavity, in as large a volume as can issue therefrom, as the result of some strong impelling force: The water will gush out if the main breaks. Spout and spurt both imply the ejecting of a liquid from a cavity by some internal impetus given to it. Spout implies a rather steady, possibly well-defined, jet or stream, not necessarily of long duration but always of considerable force: A whale spouts. Spurt implies a forcible, possibly sudden, spasmodic, or intermittent issue or jet: The liquid spurted out suddenly when the bottle cap was pushed in. Spout applies only to liquids; the other terms apply also to gases.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flowsimple
-
flowssimple
-
have flowedperfect
-
has flowedperfect
-
am flowingprogressive
-
are flowingprogressive
-
is flowingprogressive
-
have been flowingperfect progressive
-
has been flowingperfect progressive
Past
-
flowedsimple
-
had flowedperfect
-
was flowingprogressive
-
were flowingprogressive
-
had been flowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flow
First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English flowen, Old English flōwan; akin to Middle Low German vlōien, Old Norse flōa; (noun) late Middle English: “surge of a wave,” derivative of the verb
Explanation
The word flow has many shades of meaning but most involve the steady movement of something. Water can flow in a river, electricity can flow through a wire, and talk might also flow as you sit and chat with friends. The verb flow often describes the movement of fluids, such as water or even blood, but it can also describe other things that move in a constant stream. When you get that high-paying job, money might flow into your bank account. Until then, offers for help might flow in when you need to pay your credit card bill. Flow has a noun form as well. You might watch the flow of traffic on the street.
Vocabulary lists containing flow
"Death, be not proud" by John Donne
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Water at Work"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Irrigation Pumps Can Save Poor Farmers"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But for now through early October, with little rain and seasonal dams controlling the water’s flow, this might be California’s laziest river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Open models are generally preferred for data protection because they offer more control over the flow and access of corporate data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
PSG may take some time to get into full flow this season, having had 16 players at the World Cup.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Astrocytes provide nerve cells with nutrients, help control blood flow, and support the overall health of brain tissue.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
“They’re going to use the air climate control system. It’s designed to control the temperature and flow of oxygen throughout the building. It’s perfect.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Continued disruption of oil and gas flows threatens to push energy and shipping costs higher, rekindle inflation and weigh on global growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The Russian agriculture ministry announced on Wednesday that it was working to redirect cargo flows to ports in the Baltic and Caspian Seas as well as land routes.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Sifting back through the data to 2021, Price found changes in net positioning explains 85% of copper’s price move, so it can be observed that speculative flows have become the dominant price catalyst.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
I don’t necessarily go in feeling like I’m gonna write about anything in particular, but I am really curious and interested in what that moment holds, and lyrically, if it flows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
My hand flows over the paper in broad strokes, a familiar feeling in my stomach as inspiration takes hold.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Remittances flowed into remote villages where the most reliable way to reinvest the windfall was to send another family member across the Sahara.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Oil-tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of global crude and crude products flowed through in peacetime, has ground to a halt in recent days.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
These materials — included in “Let’s Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar,” at Roberts Projects through Aug. 22 — reveal an artist whose creations all flowed from the same restless imagination.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
The money flowed at the precise moment that changes to global regulation of stablecoins was transforming the value and prospects of that sector.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Cold flowed from it: an acrid uprush of air like the breath of some ancient creature that has never seen the sun.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Infrastructure investments have an important GDP multiplier effect that can foster significant economic growth by keeping basic services available and flowing, Cliquet said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
He also is a downtown loft developer and commissioned studies that helped inform a far less expensive option that would run down near the flowing river, rather than up above.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Lumilens is among a group of heavily funded startups which makes optical gear to speed up data flowing between AI servers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
For many years, scientists studying small variations in that field concluded that much of the outer core was flowing mainly westward.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Her long flowing dresses, fifty years out of style.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
