flow
Americanverb (used without object)
-
flows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flowed,
past participle, past
-
flowing
present participle
-
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.
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to issue or proceed from a source.
Orders flowed from the office.
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to menstruate.
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to come or go as in a stream.
A constant stream of humanity flowed by.
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to proceed continuously and smoothly.
Melody flowed from the violin.
- Synonyms:
- run
-
to hang loosely at full length.
Her hair flowed over her shoulders.
-
to abound in something.
The tavern flowed with wine.
- Synonyms:
- teem
-
to rise and advance, as the tide (opposed to ebb).
verb (used with object)
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flows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flowed,
past participle, past
-
flowing
present participle
-
to cause or permit to flow.
to flow paint on a wall before brushing.
-
to cover with water or other liquid; flood.
noun
-
flows
plural
-
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.
-
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.
verb
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(of liquids) to move or be conveyed as in a stream
-
(of blood) to circulate around the body
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to move or progress freely as if in a stream
the crowd flowed into the building
-
to proceed or be produced continuously and effortlessly
ideas flowed from her pen
-
to show or be marked by smooth or easy movement
-
to hang freely or loosely
her hair flowed down her back
-
to be present in abundance
wine flows at their parties
-
an informal word for menstruate
-
(of tide water) to advance or rise Compare ebb
-
(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 flowing
a 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
-
-
a marsh or swamp
-
an inlet or basin of the sea
-
( capital when part of a name )
Scapa Flow
-
-
natural happiness
Usage
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.
- Used in a sentence: The huge dam redirects the flow of the river away from the city.
- Used in a sentence: The heart makes sure blood flows throughout the body.
- Used in a sentence: A flow of shoppers streamed into the mall.
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flowsimple
-
flowssimple
-
have flowedperfect
-
has flowedperfect
-
am flowingprogressive
-
are flowingprogressive
-
is flowingprogressive
-
have been flowingperfect progressive
-
has been flowingperfect progressive
Past
-
flowedsimple
-
had flowedperfect
-
was flowingprogressive
-
were flowingprogressive
-
had been flowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
The word flow has many shades of meaning but most involve the steady movement of something. Water can flow in a river, electricity can flow through a wire, and talk might also flow as you sit and chat with friends. The verb flow often describes the movement of fluids, such as water or even blood, but it can also describe other things that move in a constant stream. When you get that high-paying job, money might flow into your bank account. Until then, offers for help might flow in when you need to pay your credit card bill. Flow has a noun form as well. You might watch the flow of traffic on the street.
Vocabulary lists containing flow
"Death, be not proud" by John Donne
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!
"Water at Work"
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!
"Irrigation Pumps Can Save Poor Farmers"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“Capex falls, free cash flow recovers, and the issuance pipeline shrinks,” Karoui wrote in a note this past week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Andoni Iraola's side did not flow in the final third, certainly not in the way his Bournemouth team did last season.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
But Saudi Arabia can restore “very quickly” about 2 million to 2.5 million barrels a day — so roughly half its recent flow — within days, provided there are no further attacks, Jorbenaze said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
So far, researchers have not identified clear evidence of this type of basal liquid flow elsewhere on Pluto.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
After the eruption, groundwater that had been trapped in the mountain found paths to flow downhill.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
The International Energy Agency recently pushed its timeline for normalized Middle East energy flows into 2027 from late 2026 previously.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
Still, the emerging strategies could offset 70% of the world’s dependency on energy flows through Hormuz by 2030, according to new analysis by the McKinsey Global Institute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Already before El Nino hit, rivers worldwide were showing "abnormal" flows, WMO said, with 2025 among the three driest years for rivers in 35 years.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Significant water scarcity is declared when river flows remain below the recognised low flow threshold for 30 consecutive days.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
"The stream flows down from the mountaintop, above the cloud," she was saying.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Earlier studies, including research led by Stern, had proposed that liquid once flowed on Pluto in the distant past.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
Once the words came, they flowed cinematically, telling a coast-to-coast coming-of-age story fit for the big screen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
After Talarico’s campaign posted footage of the former president stumping with him at a taco shop this spring, the equivalencies flowed in.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
ETF activity has been an indicator of institutional investor interest in cryptocurrencies, which has been low through the first-half of the year as money flowed into more lucrative assets like AI and semiconductor stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
And that feeling, sitting by the creek after Togbe’s death, of how all the waters flowed into a road through time for us.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Some experts have said it could take more than a month to repair the pipeline, but US Energy Secretary Chris Wright predicted on Tuesday that oil should be flowing through it within days.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The U.S. military has provided some protection to tankers moving through the strait hugging Oman’s coast, and ship-to-ship transfers have been a growing way to get crude flowing out of the Middle East again.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
New ideas were flowing from conversations with members of his Book Club, the clique of senior figures in business and politics bonding over the short novels they had time to read.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
And alongside the sparkling wine, the money is flowing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Roz explained that they were on a mining station and that the poison tide was flowing from down on the seafloor.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
