flour
Americannoun
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the finely ground meal of grain, especially the finer meal separated by bolting.
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the finely ground and bolted meal of wheat, as that used in baking.
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any finely ground meal resembling this, as of nuts or legumes: chickpea flour.
almond flour;
chickpea flour.
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a finely ground, powdery foodstuff, as of dehydrated potatoes, fish, or bananas.
-
a fine, soft powder.
flour of emery.
verb (used with object)
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flours,
present (3rd person singular)
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floured,
past participle, past
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flouring
present participle
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to grind (grain or the like) into flour.
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to sprinkle or dredge with flour.
Flour the chicken before frying.
verb (used without object)
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flours,
present (3rd person singular)
-
floured,
past participle, past
-
flouring
present participle
-
(of mercury) to refuse to amalgamate with another metal because of some impurity of the metal; lie on the surface of the metal in the form of minute globules.
-
to disintegrate into minute particles.
noun
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a powder, which may be either fine or coarse, prepared by sifting and grinding the meal of a grass, esp wheat
-
any finely powdered substance
verb
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(tr) to make (grain) into flour
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(tr) to dredge or sprinkle (food or cooking utensils) with flour
-
(of mercury) to break into fine particles on the surface of a metal rather than amalgamating, or to produce such an effect on (a metal). The effect is caused by impurities, esp sulphur
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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floursimple
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flourssimple
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have flouredperfect
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has flouredperfect
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am flouringprogressive
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are flouringprogressive
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is flouringprogressive
-
have been flouringperfect progressive
-
has been flouringperfect progressive
Past
-
flouredsimple
-
had flouredperfect
-
was flouringprogressive
-
were flouringprogressive
-
had been flouringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of flour
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English flour, flur, flower, special use of flower (in the sense “finest part”); compare French fleur de farine “the flower, or finest part, of meal”
Explanation
Flour is a fine, powdery ingredient that's used to bake bread and cake and is made by grinding wheat or other grains. A traditional pound cake is made with a pound of flour. You'll need flour when you bake almost anything, and while flour is usually made from wheat, you can also buy rice flour, corn flour, and may other kinds. When you sprinkle flour on the counter before kneading bread dough, you flour it. Flour comes from its homophone, flower, from the sense of "the finest or loveliest part of the meal," just as a flower is the finest part of a plant.
Vocabulary lists containing flour
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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:
"There are mandatory vitamins and minerals which manufacturers in the UK are required to add to white wheat flour such as calcium carbonate, niacin and thiamin," she says.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Investors went ga-ga over industrial agglomerations for tin, oil, electric utilities, flour, furniture, copper, pottery, leather, borax, oatmeal, even coffins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Faith blossoms as Annie comes to understand Xavier’s driving need to reunite with his spouse, and the loving father of two employs a bag of flour to teach her swaddling lessons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Prepare the pan: Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
With unusual presence of mind, Charlie leaped to his feet and grabbed me up like a sack of flour.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
I tend to head straight to the stall run by Benjamin Watson of Kinship Bread, who uses only regional grains and stone-milled flours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
They use a range of flours that are farmed using sustainable methods that prioritise soil health.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
And in the sweet chapter, generally speaking, gluten-free flours are usually a 1-1 swap for all-purpose flour.
From Salon ● May 28, 2024
He noted that artisanal bakeries in the state have long used unenriched flours without health inspectors going after them, as Arambula’s bill would do to tortilleros.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2024
The flours and meals used in this recipe are prepared by Cutlard, Stewart & Walt, Ltd.,
From Dietetics for Nurses by Fairfax T. Proudfit
Gently mix the two ingredients together, knead briefly and flatten out to about 1/2” thickness on a floured surface.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025
On a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2024
Return the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and use a very sharp knife to slice off the ragged edges on each side.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 15, 2023
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over a few times to incorporate air, but do not knead it; you want to achieve a loose, soft dough.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 14, 2023
Liza rubbed her nose and floured it with her finger.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
How you roll the dough depends on the final shape you want, but begin by generously flouring a countertop and rolling pin.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2022
Greasing and flouring the paper will ensure it releases without pulling off any of the cake crust.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 4, 2022
Place the dough between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll out into a 10-inch circle, flouring as needed.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 6, 2022
He clapped his hands again above his head, and a fine, light flouring flew into the air—sort of like chalk dust—and a haze shimmered about his face.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
It has a first class roller flouring mill, owned by Ferdinand A. Kost, erected in 1883 at a cost of $13,000, and a saw mill, also owned by F. A. Kost, erected the same year.
From Fifty Years In The Northwest With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And Notes by William Henry Carman Folsom
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.
