flow

American  

[floh] / floʊ /

verb (used without object)

1. to move along in a stream.

   The river flowed slowly to the sea.

2. to circulate.

   blood flowing through one's veins.

3. to stream or well forth.

   Warmth flows from the sun.

4. to issue or proceed from a source.

   Orders flowed from the office.

5. to menstruate.

6. to come or go as in a stream.

   A constant stream of humanity flowed by.

7. to proceed continuously and smoothly.

   Melody flowed from the violin.

   Synonyms:

   run

8. to hang loosely at full length.

   Her hair flowed over her shoulders.

9. to abound in something.

   The tavern flowed with wine.

   Synonyms:

   teem

10. to rise and advance, as the tide (ebb ).

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause or permit to flow.

   to flow paint on a wall before brushing.

2. to cover with water or other liquid; flood.

noun

1. an act of flowing.

2. movement in or as if in a stream.

3. the rate of flowing.

4. 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.

5. something that flows; stream.

6. an outpouring or discharge of something, as in a stream.

   a flow of blood.

7. menstruation.

8. an overflowing; flood.

9. the rise of the tide (ebb ).

10. Machinery. progressive distortion of a metal object under continuous service at high temperature.

11. Physics. the transference of energy.

    heat flow.

flow British  

/ fləʊ /

verb

1. (of liquids) to move or be conveyed as in a stream

2. (of blood) to circulate around the body

3. to move or progress freely as if in a stream

   the crowd flowed into the building

4. to proceed or be produced continuously and effortlessly

   ideas flowed from her pen

5. to show or be marked by smooth or easy movement

6. to hang freely or loosely

   her hair flowed down her back

7. to be present in abundance

   wine flows at their parties

8. an informal word for menstruate

9. (of tide water) to advance or rise Compare ebb

10. (tr) to cover or swamp with liquid; flood

11. (of rocks such as slate) to yield to pressure without breaking so that the structure and arrangement of the constituent minerals are altered

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noun

1. the act, rate, or manner of flowing

   a fast flow

2. a continuous stream or discharge

3. continuous progression

4. the advancing of the tide

5. a stream of molten or solidified lava

6. the amount of liquid that flows in a given time

7. an informal word for menstruation

8. 1. a marsh or swamp

   2. an inlet or basin of the sea

   3. ( capital when part of a name )

      Scapa Flow

9. natural happiness

flow Idioms  

1. see ebb and flow; go with the flow.

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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. 

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. 

Related Words

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

• flowability noun
• flowable adjective
• reflow noun
• underflow noun

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.

Example Sentences

Or its Revolutionary Guard Corps could choke the flow entirely, wreaking havoc on energy markets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The warmth came courtesy of a flow of southerly winds from continental Europe, which caused temperatures to climb rapidly.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

IBM’s capital intensity is also notably lower than that of hyperscalers and cloud infrastructure providers, which merits a more attractive forward free cash flow multiple, Boolani wrote.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Yeah, you gotta get the drape and the flow.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

I think I’m finally beginning to make sense of what’s happening at the Park—like the flow of information and the chain of command.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• cascade
• circulate
• continue
• discharge
• ebb
• flood
• glide
• gush
• leak
• overflow
• percolate
• pour
• proceed
• rush
• slide
• spill
• splash
• stream
• sweep
• swell