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)

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)

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

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

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

The book, sponsored by the Vermont-based flour producer, is organized around crust styles, ranging from the original Neapolitan to New American.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Soft-baked pretzels were thus seen as the ideal food to eat, since they only called for four basic ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

The possible answers were plain flour, salted butter, egg yolk and double cream.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

Saber Nuraldin from EPA Images was a finalist with a shot of Palestinians swarming over an aid truck in Gaza, scrambling to get flour during a brief pause in Israel's blockade.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

More precious foodstores—cases of nuts, boxes of sugar, crates of barley, flour, and jam—were sledged back to the new camp, dubbed Ocean Camp by the men.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• grate