stream

American  

[streem] / strim /

noun

streams plural

1. a body of water flowing in a channel or watercourse, as a river, rivulet, or brook.

   Synonyms:

   runnel, streamlet, run, rill

2. a steady current in water, as in a river or the ocean.

   to row against the stream;

   the Gulf Stream.

   Synonyms:

   tide, flow

3. any flow of water or other liquid or fluid.

   streams of blood.

4. a current or flow of air, gas, or the like.

5. a beam or trail of light.

   A stream of moonlight fell from the clouds.

6. a continuous flow or succession of anything.

   a stream of words.

   Synonyms:

   rush, torrent

7. prevailing direction; drift.

   the stream of opinion.

8. Digital Technology.

   1. a flow of data, as an audio broadcast, a movie, or live video, transmitted smoothly and continuously from a source to a computer, mobile device, etc.

   2. livestream.

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verb (used without object)

streams, present (3rd person singular) streamed, past participle, past streaming present participle

1. to flow, pass, or issue in a stream, as water, tears, or blood.

   Synonyms:

   pour

2. to send forth or throw off a stream; run or flow (often followed bywith ).

   eyes streaming with tears.

3. to extend in a beam or in rays, as light.

   Sunlight streamed in through the windows.

4. to move or proceed continuously like a flowing stream, as a procession.

5. to wave or float outward, as a flag in the wind.

6. to hang in a loose, flowing manner, as long hair.

verb (used with object)

streams, present (3rd person singular) streamed, past participle, past streaming present participle

1. to send forth or discharge in a stream.

   The wound streamed blood.

2. to cause to stream or float outward, as a flag.

3. Digital Technology.

   1. to transfer or transmit (data) in such a way that it is processed in a steady and continuous stream.

      Internet service providers are talking about setting limits on the amount of data that can be streamed into your home.

   2. livestream.

4. Nautical. to place (an object) in the water at the end of a line attached to a vessel.

idioms

1. on stream, in or into operation.

   The factory will be on stream in a month.

stream British  

/ striːm /

noun

1. a small river; brook

2. any steady flow of water or other fluid

3. something that resembles a stream in moving continuously in a line or particular direction

4. a rapid or unbroken flow of speech, etc

   a stream of abuse

5. a flow of money into a business

   a revenue stream

6. any of several parallel classes of schoolchildren, or divisions of children within a class, grouped together because of similar ability

7. to conform to the accepted standards

8. (of an industrial plant, manufacturing process, etc) shut down or not in production

9. 1. (of an industrial plant, manufacturing process, etc) in or about to go into operation or production

   2. available or in existence

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verb

1. to emit or be emitted in a continuous flow

   his nose streamed blood

2. (intr) to move in unbroken succession, as a crowd of people, vehicles, etc

3. (intr) to float freely or with a waving motion

   bunting streamed in the wind

4. (tr) to unfurl (a flag, etc)

5. (intr) to move causing a trail of light, condensed gas, etc, as a jet aircraft

6. mining to wash (earth, gravel, etc) in running water in prospecting (for gold, etc), to expose the particles of ore or metal

7. education to group or divide (children) in streams

stream Scientific  

/ strēm /

1. A flow of water in a channel or bed, as a brook, rivulet, or small river.

2. A flow of a watery substance, such as blood in blood vessels or cytoplasm in fungal hyphae, in an organism or in part of an organism.

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stream More Idioms  

1. see change horses in midstream; swim against the current (stream).

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Usage

What is a basic definition of stream? A stream is a small river, a continuous flow, or a flow of data over the internet. Stream has several other senses as a noun and a verb. Like a river, a stream is a body of water that flows from one source and ends by emptying into a larger body of water or a water basin. When it comes to rivers and streams, there is no official measurement used to separate them. Generally, a stream is considered to be smaller than a river, but even official organizations concerned with geography sometimes use both terms to refer to the same body of water.

• Real-life examples: The United States has millions of miles of streams. Streams play an important part in nature because they deliver water or offer shelter to plants, fish, and other aquatic animals. You might have a stream near you that is home to fish or other aquatic life.
• Used in a sentence: We saw a small fish jump out of the stream. 

The word stream is used more generally to mean a flow of anything, not just water. One sense of the noun streamer is something that streams, such as a flame.

• Real-life examples: A stream of tears might flow out of your eyes if you hit your thumb with a hammer. You might hear about a stream of wind during a weather forecast. Department stores often get a stream of customers during the holidays.
• Used in a sentence: Luckily, the doctor quickly stopped the stream of blood coming from my leg.

In this same sense, stream is used as a verb to mean to flow like water, literally or figuratively.

• Used in a sentence: Milk streamed from the vats into the chocolate-making machinery. 

Stream also refers to a flow of data that is transmitted over the internet to your computer or other electronic device. A stream usually takes the form of music, movies, video games, or a live video broadcast.

• Real-life examples: Netflix, YouTube, and Twitch allow people to watch streams of videos, while Spotify and Amazon Music offer music streams.
• Used in a sentence: We watched a stream of the movie on my laptop. 

In this same sense, stream is used as a verb to mean to transmit or receive a stream of data over the internet. Here, a streamer is the person who sends or receives data over the internet.

• Used in a sentence: I told her not to illegally stream music but she wouldn’t listen.

Synonym Usage

Stream, current refer to a steady flow. In this use they are interchangeable. In the sense of running water, however, a stream is a flow that may be as small as a brook or as large as a river: A number of streams have their sources in mountains. Current refers to the most rapidly moving part of the stream: This river has a swift current.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• streamlet
  noun
• understream
  noun
• outstream
  verb (used with object)
• interstream
  adjective
• streamless
  adjective
• streamlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• streams
  plural

Participles

• streaming
  present
• streamed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• stream
  simple
• streams
  simple
• have streamed
  perfect
• has streamed
  perfect
• am streaming
  progressive
• are streaming
  progressive
• is streaming
  progressive
• have been streaming
  perfect progressive
• has been streaming
  perfect progressive

Past

• streamed
  simple
• had streamed
  perfect
• was streaming
  progressive
• were streaming
  progressive
• had been streaming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will stream
  simple
• will have streamed
  perfect
• will be streaming
  progressive
• will have been streaming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of stream

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun streem, streme, Old English strēam; cognate with German Strom, Old Norse straumr; akin to Greek rheîn “to flow”; verb derivative of the noun; see rheum

Explanation

That little rolling brook in your back yard is a stream. If it starts rising and threatens to flood, your father might let out a stream of expletives. A stream is a steady flow of something. As a verb, stream means to flow out. If water streams from a faucet, it is pouring out. After a concert people stream out of a stadium and into the parking lot. On the web, you'll hear about something connected with music and video called streaming. This means that instead of having to download it to play, it is sent through your computer to listen to or watch, sort of like the way radio and TV work.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stream streams streamed streaming

Such support for limiting government’s power over religion doesn’t mean that the PCA is swimming in the same stream as libertarians.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Storms begin to form and a strengthened Pacific jet stream is pulled from Canada down over the Southern U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

With Andersson and Brooke Guest together, hopes of a total in excess of 300 were high but Guest's departure for 48 began a steady stream of wickets as Andersson ultimately ran out of partners.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

A content creator named Baron Coleman received 503,000 views on a single stream about “suspicious” issues with the killing—far more views than he has followers.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

Soon afterward a stream of headlamps poured down the trail and disappeared.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

Sunday, July 26 on Adult Swim and streams the next day on HBO Max.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

Weak traffic pressures other high-margin revenue streams, including retail and car parking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Holly Gray, from BBOWT, said: "This is an exciting step forward in getting chalk streams the recognition they deserve."

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

“Love Island USA,” the American version of the U.K. series, streams on Peacock and follows a cast of singles as they search for love and test their connections.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

With Brightbill on her shoulder, Roz hiked past trees and meadows and streams and climbed up, up, up the mountain, to the very highest point of the island.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

The service for family and invited guests will be held at St Mary's Church, Swansea, on 17 August, and will be live streamed on the star's official website.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

It then became an entertainment powerhouse by paying up for original series that could be streamed over the internet and often binged in a single evening.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

The ceremony will broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

From the moment the referee blew his whistle to signal the hydration break, fans streamed to the counter for a beverage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

She covered her ears when the little creatures streamed out of their smelly pens, but she was charmed by the confident way they nibbled lucerne from her hands.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Paramount has argued that the deal will help the company better compete with streaming giants such as Netflix.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

He said streaming still faced several obstacles, including the fact that many high-end games still require a controller.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The streaming service is available only in the U.S. and certain U.S. territories.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

He even launched his own subscription streaming network, the American Sheriff Network, with featured ride-alongs and other reality TV programming.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

The moss and leaves are hard like cement beneath my feet, the moon hanging big and low, beams streaming down like searchlights.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Related Words

• current
• flood
• flow
• rush
• spate
• surge
• tide
• torrent
• tributary