flour
Americannoun
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the finely ground meal of grain, especially the finer meal separated by bolting.
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the finely ground and bolted meal of wheat, as that used in baking.
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any finely ground meal resembling this, as of nuts or legumes: chickpea flour.
almond flour;
chickpea flour.
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a finely ground, powdery foodstuff, as of dehydrated potatoes, fish, or bananas.
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a fine, soft powder.
flour of emery.
verb (used with object)
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flours,
present (3rd person singular)
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floured,
past participle, past
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flouring
present participle
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to grind (grain or the like) into flour.
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to sprinkle or dredge with flour.
Flour the chicken before frying.
verb (used without object)
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flours,
present (3rd person singular)
-
floured,
past participle, past
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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
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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
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(tr) to make (grain) into flour
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(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
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floursimple
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flourssimple
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have flouredperfect
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has flouredperfect
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am flouringprogressive
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are flouringprogressive
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is flouringprogressive
-
have been flouringperfect progressive
-
has been flouringperfect progressive
Past
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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
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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:
When used to identify plastics, pharmaceuticals, coffee, flour, and tea, the spectrometer achieved a 100% classification success rate in the reported tests.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
"The flour isn't enough and the food boxes aren't enough either," said Dalal al-Dahdouh, who is living in the ruins of her home in Gaza City with her family of eight.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
I was floored by what I could create with flour, eggs and sugar.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
I usually prepare the batter just before frying because it comes together so easily—you just whisk the flour with lukewarm water and the egg whites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
Only the supply ship—which came once a year to bring them books and paper, flour and yeast, nails and cloth, and the other things they couldn’t make themselves—knew where they lived.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
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
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
We support that at the cookbook store by teaching people how to utilize products at their hands — like flours, grains, and pantry goods.”
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2023
Oh beautiful summer thou art so fare, With thy flours and thy trees that grow everywhere, The birds on the bows are singing so gay, Oh how I love them on a bright summer's day!
From 'Lizbeth of the Dale by Mary Esther Miller MacGregor
When the batter has formed into a cohesive ball, turn it onto the floured work surface and knead the dough for two minutes.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
Turn onto a well floured surface and knead 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2023
Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and use a very sharp knife to slice off the ragged edges on each side.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap it and, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a 1/4-inch-thick rectangle, about 18 inches long by 12 inches wide.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 8, 2023
She wiped her floured hands with a rag and stood up.
From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed
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 1856 Messrs. Silverthorn & Dudley started a saw mill, which they operated until 1861, when Mr. Dudley purchased his partner's interest, and erected a flouring and saw mill.
From Fifty Years In The Northwest With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And Notes by William Henry Carman Folsom
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