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flow

[ floh ]

/ floʊ /

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See synonyms for: flow / flowed / flowing / flows on Thesaurus.com

Definition of flow

verb (used without object)

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).

verb (used with object)

to cause or permit to flow: to flow paint on a wall before brushing.

to cover with water or other liquid; flood.

noun

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.

menstruation.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR flow

7 run.

9 teem.

See synonyms for flow on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

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Origin of flow

First recorded before 900; (verb) Middle English flowen, Old English flōwan; akin to Middle Low German vlōien, Old Norse flōa; (noun) late Middle English: “surge of a wave,” derivative of the verb

synonym study for flow

1. Flow, gush, spout, spurt refer to certain of the movements characteristic of fluids. Flow is the general term: Water flows. A stream of blood flows. To gush is to rush forth copiously from a cavity, in as large a volume as can issue therefrom, as the result of some strong impelling force: The water will gush out if the main breaks. Spout and spurt both imply the ejecting of a liquid from a cavity by some internal impetus given to it. Spout implies a rather steady, possibly well-defined, jet or stream, not necessarily of long duration but always of considerable force: A whale spouts. Spurt implies a forcible, possibly sudden, spasmodic, or intermittent issue or jet: The liquid spurted out suddenly when the bottle cap was pushed in. Spout applies only to liquids; the other terms apply also to gases.

OTHER WORDS FROM flow

flow·a·ble, adjectiveflow·a·bil·i·ty, nounre·flow, noun, verbun·der·flow, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH flow

floe, flow

Words nearby flow

flour mill, flour mite, flour moth, floury, flout, flow, flowage, flowback, flow breccia, flow chart, flow cleavage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

MORE ABOUT FLOW

What is basic definition of flow?

Flow means to move along in a stream, as water does. Flow also means to circulate, as air does. Flow is used as a noun to mean movement as if in a stream. Flow has several other senses as a verb and a noun.

When something flows, it moves like water in a stream. When used literally, flow is almost always used to describe the movement of liquids or things that act like fluids. Flow is also often used figuratively to mean to move smoothly like water or a liquid.

Real-life examples: Water flows through pipes. Magma flows out of a volcano. People hope traffic flows through a city so they don’t get stuck in a traffic jam.
Used in a sentence: Roger lied so much that the lies flowed out of his mouth.

Flow is also used in this sense as a noun to mean an act of flowing.

Used in a sentence: The huge dam redirects the flow of the river away from the city.

Flow can also mean to circulate, especially in reference to liquids.

Used in a sentence: The heart makes sure blood flows throughout the body.

As a noun, flow means a continuous motion, like the flow of a stream. It usually refers to liquids but can refer to anything, literally or figuratively.

Used in a sentence: A flow of shoppers streamed into the mall.

Where does flow come from?

The first records of flow come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English verb flōwan. It is related to similar words with the same meaning, such as the Middle Low German vlōien and the Old Norse flōa.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to flow?

flowing (adjective, present tense verb)
flowable (adjective)
flowability (noun)
reflow (noun, verb)
underflow (noun)

What are some synonyms for flow?

What are some words that share a root or word element with flow?

What are some words that often get used in discussing flow?

What are some words flow may be commonly confused with?

floe

How is flow used in real life?

Flow is a common word that most often means to move like a streaming liquid.

Have written a eulogy for a friend. Such a weird fusion of warmness and sadness flows through you when you remember good people who are no longer here.

— Matt Haig (@matthaig1) February 24, 2020

US official familiar with #Afghanistan Taliban funding: Baradar helped control purse strings. "The money flowed through him."

— Nick Schifrin (@nickschifrin) February 16, 2010

Due to high water in Winnipeg, province will divert more of the Assiniboine River's flow into Lake Manitoba for 3 or 4 days. #bn

— Bartley Kives (@bkives) April 20, 2014

Try using flow!

Which of the following is a synonym of flow?

A. stop
B. stream
C. radiate
D. orbit

How to use flow in a sentence

This change could help to crack down on the unmoderated flow of information across groups, which can lead to spam and misinformation spreading quickly.
Facebook tries to clean up Groups with new policies|Sarah Perez|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
Ominously, the debris flow risk is shown to be high in areas recently burned, such as in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
California wildfires may give way to massive mudslides|Ula Chrobak|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
Greece and Cyprus are part of the EU, while Turkey is central to Europe’s efforts to curb the flow of migrants.
Butterfly Effect: The Next U.S.-Russia Conflict Theater Could be the Mediterranean|Charu Kasturi|September 17, 2020|Ozy
That can include changes in the flow, temperature or saltiness of water, he notes.
Soggy coastal soils? Here’s why ecologists love them|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 17, 2020|Science News For Students

Bridgewater has been moving into gold and inflation-linked bonds in its All Weather portfolio, diversifying the countries it invests in and finding more stocks with stable cash flow.
Ray Dalio issues stark warning about U.S. dollar’s future as global reserve currency|Claire Zillman, reporter|September 16, 2020|Fortune
But the jokes flow at such a torrential pace that duds are soon forgotten; the best are even Spamalot-worthy.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale|Melissa Leon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Ebb and flow, checks and balances, the center would hold, et cetera.
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall|Matt Gallagher|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The lies of the government shocked us,” says Fatima, as the tears flow slowly from her eyes and down her cheek.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But before a new tide of tourists can flow from Miami to Havana, Cuba will need to build more runways.
Goodbye, Bahamas. Hello, Havana!|Clive Irving|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Speak to the friends and people you need to root out in life and let that conversation flow.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Protesting|Rawiya Kameir, Judnick Mayard|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The volcanic eruptions of the mountains on the west broke down its barriers, and let its waters flow.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
And Tom, aware that he winced, was also aware that something in his life congealed and stopped its normal flow.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
The arrows represent the flow of money from each of these four categories to the others.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Its entrance into and exit from banks is a flow, but not a circulation against goods.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Therefore, the total circulation exceeds the total flow from and to banks by the amount flowing through "nondepositors."
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips

British Dictionary definitions for flow

flow

/ (fləʊ) /

verb (mainly intr)

(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 streamthe crowd flowed into the building

to proceed or be produced continuously and effortlesslyideas flowed from her pen

to show or be marked by smooth or easy movement

to hang freely or looselyher hair flowed down her back

to be present in abundancewine flows at their parties

an informal word for menstruate

(of tide water) to advance or riseCompare 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

noun

the act, rate, or manner of flowinga 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

Word Origin for flow

Old English flōwan; related to Old Norse flōa, Middle Low German vlōien, Greek plein to float, Sanskrit plavate he swims

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for flow

flow

[ flō ]

To move or run smoothly with unbroken continuity.

To circulate, as the blood in the body.

To menstruate.

The smooth motion characteristic of fluids.

The volume of fluid or gas passing a given point per unit of time.

Menstrual discharge.

Other Idioms and Phrases with flow

flow

see ebb and flow; go with the flow.

flow

Definition of flow

OTHER WORDS FOR flow

Origin of flow

synonym study for flow

OTHER WORDS FROM flow

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH flow

Words nearby flow

MORE ABOUT FLOW

What is basic definition of flow?

Where does flow come from?

Did you know ... ?

How is flow used in real life?

Try using flow!

Words related to flow

How to use flow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flow

Word Origin for flow

Medical definitions for flow

Other Idioms and Phrases with flow