flour
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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
-
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)
-
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
-
am flouringprogressive
-
are flouringprogressive
-
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:
New sensors and live machine data were integrated to create live digital versions of the dough, capturing minute variances in raw materials—like the particle size of the flour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
"We only asked for affordable flour, electricity and our basic rights," he says, trying to steady his breath through his sobs.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
What on Earth possessed Nolan, a notoriously detail-oriented director, to tap the all-purpose flour of movie stars to portray one of the most storied heroes in literature?
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026
The bread is made from Central Milling organic flour and baked fresh in an outdoor oven.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
They gave us a sack with provisions: a dozen hard-boiled eggs, a hunk of goat cheese still in its thin cloth casing, a stack of flour tortillas, and water.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
While she loves local and home-milled flours, she’s also happy with the crusts she makes with King Arthur flour bought at Costco.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
They use a range of flours that are farmed using sustainable methods that prioritise soil health.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
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
We support that at the cookbook store by teaching people how to utilize products at their hands — like flours, grains, and pantry goods.”
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2023
Fillers for Plastics and Plywood Glues The Laboratory has studied the use of shell flours for use in plastics and plywood glues.
From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the 43rd Annual Meeting Rockport, Indiana, August 25, 26 and 27, 1952 by Northern Nut Growers Association
On a lightly floured surface, unfold the puff pastry and cut it into four equal rectangles.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
On a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2024
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about ¼-inch thickness.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
When the batter has formed into a cohesive ball, turn it onto the floured work surface and knead the dough for two minutes.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
She ran past with her body stiff, her face floured with powder, her mouth gone, without lipstick.
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
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
The Willow River mills, built in 1867, consist of two flouring mills, with a capacity of four hundred barrels per day.
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.
