flowing
Americanadjective
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moving in or as in a stream.
flowing water.
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proceeding smoothly or easily; facile.
flowing language.
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long, smooth, graceful, and without sudden interruption or change of direction.
flowing lines; flowing gestures.
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hanging loosely at full length.
flowing hair.
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abounding; having in excess.
a land flowing with milk and honey.
Other Word Forms
- flowingly adverb
- flowingness noun
- self-flowing adjective
- unflowing adjective
Etymology
Origin of flowing
before 950; Middle English flowynge, Old English flōwende. See flow, -ing 2
Explanation
Anything flowing moves like liquid, such as the flowing water of a river or someone’s long, flowing hair. Even a conversation can be flowing if people have a lot to say to each other. The adjective flowing is useful for describing things that drape gracefully, like Rapunzel's flowing hair or Cinderella's flowing gown. The sleek and streamlined movements of a ballet dancer might also be called flowing, and so can particularly graceful writing: "The poet's flowing lines beautifully evoked a summer afternoon." Flowing comes from flow, from a root meaning "to stream, melt, or become liquid."
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.
A stroke occurs when blood stops flowing to part of the brain, according to NHS guidance.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Each time they introduced electrons and holes, they observed a consistent electrical current flowing in the same direction, even without applying any external voltage.
From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026
To help control it and provide habitat for fish and birds, California agencies have been building berms and sending water flowing into man-made ponds along the shore, creating new wetlands.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Much still hinges on the return of freely flowing shipping and tanker traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a central focus on day two of the U.S.-Iran cease-fire deal.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026
Then I slipped it into the pocket of my flowing green skirt.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
