flow
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).
to cause or permit to flow: to flow paint on a wall before brushing.
to cover with water or other liquid; flood.
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.
Origin of flow
1synonym study For flow
Other words for flow
Other words from flow
- flow·a·ble, adjective
- flow·a·bil·i·ty, noun
- re·flow, noun, verb
- un·der·flow, noun
Words that may be confused with flow
- floe, flow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use flow in a sentence
The liberated soul does not cease to act, to think, to create, to instigate revolutionary flows.
A small stream flows from high up in the Korengal and meanders down through the valley before emptying into the Pech River.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley | Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman | November 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd they will keep telling themselves that this river flows with the blood of the non-believers.
Power flows both ways, and people are complex in Happy Valley.
The Feminist Aesthetic of ‘Happy Valley’: A Refusal to Eroticize Violence Against Women | Batya Ungar-Sargon | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMoney flows to power, never more so than in the age of unlimited political contributions.
Candidates in Maine, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., Challenge Republicans and Democrats Alike | Linda Killian | July 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The nature of these rocks must therefore depend entirely on that of the country through which the river flows.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonNaturally all the water in a valley flows downward and at last reaches a stream running through it.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman | Albert Sidney BollesI am bored to death, to extinction; my thoughts are the colour of that water which flows over yonder, brackish and heavy.
The Nabob | Alphonse DaudetIrrigation is necessary for successful agriculture, and there are few spots where water flows.
Robert Moffat | David J. DeaneHis story flows in a calm, clear, sparkling current, with every charm which simplicity and ease can give.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John Lord
British Dictionary definitions for flow
/ (fləʊ) /
(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 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 (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
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
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
Origin of flow
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with flow
see ebb and flow; go with the flow.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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