flour
Americannoun
-
the finely ground meal of grain, especially the finer meal separated by bolting.
-
the finely ground and bolted meal of wheat, as that used in baking.
-
any finely ground meal resembling this, as of nuts or legumes: chickpea flour.
almond flour;
chickpea flour.
-
a finely ground, powdery foodstuff, as of dehydrated potatoes, fish, or bananas.
-
a fine, soft powder.
flour of emery.
verb (used with object)
-
flours,
present (3rd person singular)
-
floured,
past participle, past
-
flouring
present participle
-
to grind (grain or the like) into flour.
-
to sprinkle or dredge with flour.
Flour the chicken before frying.
verb (used without object)
-
flours,
present (3rd person singular)
-
floured,
past participle, past
-
flouring
present participle
-
(of mercury) to refuse to amalgamate with another metal because of some impurity of the metal; lie on the surface of the metal in the form of minute globules.
-
to disintegrate into minute particles.
noun
-
a powder, which may be either fine or coarse, prepared by sifting and grinding the meal of a grass, esp wheat
-
any finely powdered substance
verb
-
(tr) to make (grain) into flour
-
(tr) to dredge or sprinkle (food or cooking utensils) with flour
-
(of mercury) to break into fine particles on the surface of a metal rather than amalgamating, or to produce such an effect on (a metal). The effect is caused by impurities, esp sulphur
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
floursimple
-
flourssimple
-
have flouredperfect
-
has flouredperfect
-
am flouringprogressive
-
are flouringprogressive
-
is flouringprogressive
-
have been flouringperfect progressive
-
has been flouringperfect progressive
Past
-
flouredsimple
-
had flouredperfect
-
was flouringprogressive
-
were flouringprogressive
-
had been flouringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flour
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English flour, flur, flower, special use of flower (in the sense “finest part”); compare French fleur de farine “the flower, or finest part, of meal”
Explanation
Flour is a fine, powdery ingredient that's used to bake bread and cake and is made by grinding wheat or other grains. A traditional pound cake is made with a pound of flour. You'll need flour when you bake almost anything, and while flour is usually made from wheat, you can also buy rice flour, corn flour, and may other kinds. When you sprinkle flour on the counter before kneading bread dough, you flour it. Flour comes from its homophone, flower, from the sense of "the finest or loveliest part of the meal," just as a flower is the finest part of a plant.
Vocabulary lists containing flour
National Cookie Day
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!
Spelling Practice, Unit 6
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!
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:
"There are mandatory vitamins and minerals which manufacturers in the UK are required to add to white wheat flour such as calcium carbonate, niacin and thiamin," she says.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
I was floored by what I could create with flour, eggs and sugar.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
The removal of sesame flour appears to address growing sesame allergies, although the company did not explain its rationale for the change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Investors went ga-ga over industrial agglomerations for tin, oil, electric utilities, flour, furniture, copper, pottery, leather, borax, oatmeal, even coffins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
I watched a horse clip-clop up the street, pulling a long wagon loaded with sacks of flour and other dry goods.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
While she loves local and home-milled flours, she’s also happy with the crusts she makes with King Arthur flour bought at Costco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
At the start of the experiment, the flours showed similar bacterial profiles and contained a variety of yeasts.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 21, 2026
They use a range of flours that are farmed using sustainable methods that prioritise soil health.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
He noted that artisanal bakeries in the state have long used unenriched flours without health inspectors going after them, as Arambula’s bill would do to tortilleros.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2024
There are some very good brands of flour made in New York State, but as a rule they are not so full of gluten and not so nutritious as the Western flours.
From A Course of Lectures on the Principles of Domestic Economy and Cookery by Juliet Corson
On a lightly floured surface, unfold the puff pastry and cut it into nine roughly 3-inch squares.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Gently mix the two ingredients together, knead briefly and flatten out to about 1/2” thickness on a floured surface.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about ¼-inch thickness.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
Turn the dough onto the floured surface and roll it out with a floured rolling pin to a ½-inch thickness.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
Eumaios, taking flesh from every quarter, put lean strips on the fat of sacrifice, floured each one with barley meal, and cast it into the blaze.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
How you roll the dough depends on the final shape you want, but begin by generously flouring a countertop and rolling pin.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2022
Greasing and flouring the paper will ensure it releases without pulling off any of the cake crust.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 4, 2022
Place the dough between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll out into a 10-inch circle, flouring as needed.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 6, 2022
He clapped his hands again above his head, and a fine, light flouring flew into the air—sort of like chalk dust—and a haze shimmered about his face.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
In company with Mr. Buswell he built the North Star flouring mill in 1860.
From Fifty Years In The Northwest With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And Notes by William Henry Carman Folsom
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.
