flour

American  

[flou^uhr, flou-er] / flaʊər, ˈflaʊ ər /

noun

1. the finely ground meal of grain, especially the finer meal separated by bolting.

2. the finely ground and bolted meal of wheat, as that used in baking.

3. any finely ground meal resembling this, as of nuts or legumes: chickpea flour.

   almond flour;

   chickpea flour.

4. a finely ground, powdery foodstuff, as of dehydrated potatoes, fish, or bananas.

5. a fine, soft powder.

   flour of emery.

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verb (used with object)

flours, present (3rd person singular) floured, past participle, past flouring present participle

1. to grind (grain or the like) into flour.

2. 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

1. (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.

2. to disintegrate into minute particles.

flour British  

/ ˈflaʊə /

noun

1. a powder, which may be either fine or coarse, prepared by sifting and grinding the meal of a grass, esp wheat

2. any finely powdered substance

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verb

1. (tr) to make (grain) into flour

2. (tr) to dredge or sprinkle (food or cooking utensils) with flour

3. (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

• overflour
  verb
• flourless
  adjective
• floury
  adjective
• unfloured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• flouring
  present
• floured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• flour
  simple
• flours
  simple
• have floured
  perfect
• has floured
  perfect
• am flouring
  progressive
• are flouring
  progressive
• is flouring
  progressive
• have been flouring
  perfect progressive
• has been flouring
  perfect progressive

Past

• floured
  simple
• had floured
  perfect
• was flouring
  progressive
• were flouring
  progressive
• had been flouring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will flour
  simple
• will have floured
  perfect
• will be flouring
  progressive
• will have been flouring
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

She makes bread using flour from her wheat, together with red beans from her fields, to eat alongside butter and dried yoghurt made by her husband.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

Lucie Franc de Ferrier, the owner of the New York City cake shop From Lucie, first sank her hands in flour in 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

Most cereals are loaded with sugars and use white flour from refined grains, which strips them of high-quality fiber.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 21, 2026

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

From Salon • Jun. 20, 2026

Crunch, crunch, crunch she went, grinding the maize into flour.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• grate