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Synonyms

go with the flow

Idioms  

  1. Also, go with the tide. Move along with the prevailing forces, accept the prevailing trend, as in Rather than striking out in new directions, I tend to go with the flow, or Pat isn't particularly original; she just goes with the tide. The flow in the first and more colloquial term, which dates from the late 1900s, alludes to the ebb and flow of tides and probably gained currency because of its appealing rhyme.

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.

And once comprehending, shall he go with the flow?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

While you want to go with the flow, it seems like you don’t trust the maid of honor to finalize the trip details.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 29, 2026

Yet there’s equal incentive to surrender, to go with the flow.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Nandi added: "I am excited for what is to come. I would love to write more songs and perform gigs with my band and go with the flow."

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2025

I’m hoping she’ll realize that this blows as a long-term strategy, but in the meantime, I just go with the flow.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

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.