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
Derived Forms
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.
There was reportedly Champagne flowing in the dressing room after Sunday’s matinee, but the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Sanctioned Russian oil is flowing more freely to India, and a limited number of tankers have continued crossing Hormuz despite the risks.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
Towering at 6ft 5in tall, with long, flowing blond hair, Haaland has become one of the most recognisable players in football.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Urbanization, as both a cause and consequence of economic development, is as insistent a natural force as flowing water.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
But she could no longer stamp her feet as the rest of us did to keep the blood flowing.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
