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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use flow in a sentence
One thing to note is Berkeley catches a lot of the eastward fog flow blankets from the Golden Gate Bridge.
Berkeley: A City That Fights for the Rights of All | LGBTQ-Editor | November 20, 2020 | No Straight NewsThe good thing is that my network typically tends to send me quite highly curated deals so essentially the deal flow I have luckily tends to be quite high quality, which makes things a bit more manageable.
Why is GoCardless COO Carlos Gonzalez-Cadenas pivoting to become a full-time VC? | Steve O'Hear | November 20, 2020 | TechCrunchThe literary flow slows as Pattison probes the ins and outs of Ardi’s skeletal parts.
Ardi and her discoverers shake up hominid evolution in ‘Fossil Men’ | Bruce Bower | November 18, 2020 | Science NewsInterconnected supply chains and global flows of data, finance, and people offer more “surface area” for risk to penetrate, and ripple effects can travel across these network structures rapidly.
This requires finer-grained control for data flows in backend systems.
Concrete steps marketers should take now to get ready for CA’s CPRA in 2023 | Greg Sterling | November 11, 2020 | Search Engine Land
Five, the tens or arguably hundreds of millions of dollars in dark money that flowed from corporate sources into GOP coffers.
Tile work in the bathrooms, furniture, and artwork on the walls all flowed together and carried his creative touch.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More | Gary Wright | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThis notion of American opportunity has ebbed and flowed, but generally gained ground well into the 1960s and 1970s.
In the Future We'll All Be Renters: America's Disappearing Middle Class | Joel Kotkin | August 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn the decades after the Founding, liquor flowed so freely it became cheaper than tea.
Life, Liberty, and the Founding Fathers’ Pursuit of Hoppiness | Kevin Bleyer | July 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe hole in his chest through which the drug flowed required some fussing, but there was no discomfort.
The very stream that went through it flowed sluggishly along, and as if it hadn't any particular object in life.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayThey became quite jolly as cocktails and red liquor flowed and tingled their veins.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxShe groaned aloud, and her tears flowed faster: Alessandro was making the baby's coffin.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonIn his days the wells of water flowed out, and they were filled as the sea above measure.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousHer rosy cheeks were deadly pale now, and wet with the tears that flowed unceasingly from her large black eyes.
The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie
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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