flow — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Movement in people or things characterized with a continuous motion, involving either a non solid mass or a multitude.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. The movement of a real or figurative fluid.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.

3. A formalization of the idea of the motion of particles in a fluid, as a group action of the real numbers on a set.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The notion of flow is basic to the study of ordinary differential equations.

4. The rising movement of the tide.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

5. Smoothness or continuity.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   The room was small, but it had good symmetry and flow.

6. The amount of a fluid that moves or the rate of fluid movement.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   Turn on the valve and make sure you have sufficient flow.

   Other devices measure water flow in streams fed by melted ice.

7. A flow pipe, carrying liquid away from a boiler or other central plant (compare with return pipe which returns fluid to central plant).

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

8. A mental state characterized by concentration, focus, and enjoyment of a given task.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   The point about flow is that it is enjoyable. As research has shown "the more often athletes experienced flow, the happier they were." But the second is that entering flow actually improves performance.

9. The emission of blood during menstruation.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   Tampons can be small or large, slender or thick. From “slender” to “super”, you can pick the size that matches your flow.

10. The ability to skillfully rap along to a beat.

    Usage

    • Countable
    • Uncountable

    Examples

    The production on his new mixtape is mediocre but his flow is on point.

    Now shawty said she feelin' my style, she feelin' my flow […] / My flow, my show brought me the dough / That bought me all my fancy things

11. The sequence of steps taken in a piece of software to perform some action.

    Usage

    • Countable
    • Uncountable

    Examples

    login flow

    search flow

    More examples (1)

    I'm setting up event tracking for a pretty standard, multi-step signup flow, and I'm wondering [...]

Verb

1. To move as a fluid from one position to another.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   Rivers flow from springs and lakes.

   Tears flow from the eyes.

   More examples (1)

   Wrex: I need to get my blood flowing. Find me something to kill!

2. To proceed; to issue forth; to emanate.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   Wealth flows from industry and economy.

   Thoſe thouſand decencies that daily flow ¶ From all her words and actions, mixt with Love

3. To move or match smoothly, gracefully, or continuously.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   The writing is grammatically correct, but it just doesn't flow.

   […]Virgil,[…]is[…]ſweet and flowing in his Hexameters.

4. To have or be in abundance; to abound, so as to run or flow over.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   […]in that day, that[…]the hils ſhall flow with milke,[…]a fountaine ſhall come forth of the houſe of the Lord,[…]

   the exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl

5. To hang loosely and wave.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   a flowing mantle

   flowing locks

   More examples (1)

   […]the imperial purple flowing in his train.

6. To rise, as the tide; opposed to ebb.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Synonyms

   come income up

   Examples

   The tide flows twice in twenty-four hours.

   The Riuer hath thrice flow’d, no ebbe betweene:

7. To arrange (text in a wordprocessor, etc.) so that it wraps neatly into a designated space; to reflow.

   Usage

   • Transitive

8. To allow (a liquid) to flow.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   The action is usually progressive, and as a certain amount of oil is flowed from the tubing it lowers the pressure on the remaining oil and liberates more gas, thus causing additional oil to flow from the tubing.

9. To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.

   Usage

   • Transitive

10. To cover with varnish.

    Usage

    • Transitive

11. To discharge excessive blood from the uterus.

    Usage

    • Intransitive

Noun

1. A bog or mire, especially a rough, waterlogged one.

   Usage

   • Scotland

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   […] there are other extensive mosses in this district, commonly called flowes, which it is not probable ever will, or ever can be, converted into arable land. Some of these flowes are found to be 20, 25, or 30 feet deep, and are, besides, such a dead level, that the water has little or no descent; and even supposing they should be cast, or burnt to the bottom, standing pools of dirty water could only stand in their place.

   Ye'll stick in some flow, Or, ye'll melt in a thow

   Had been roughly laid with bog-wood dug from the flowes,

   More examples (2)

   Dandering o'er ferney knowes, [...] Springing o'er bogs an' flowes, [...]

   If dey wirna a day apo' da flow dan he [it] wis nae man's bishaness.

Noun

1. the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)

   Synonyms

   flowing

   Broader terms

   change of locationtravel

2. the amount of fluid that flows in a given time

   Synonyms

   flow raterate of flow

   Broader terms

   rate

3. the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression

   Synonyms

   stream

   Broader terms

   motionmovementmove

4. any uninterrupted stream or discharge

   Broader terms

   natural processnatural actionactionactivity

5. something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously

   Synonyms

   stream

   Broader terms

   motion

   Examples

   a stream of people emptied from the terminal

   the museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors

6. dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas

   Synonyms

   streamcurrent

   Broader terms

   courseline

   Examples

   two streams of development run through American history

   stream of consciousness

   More examples (2)

   the flow of thought

   the current of history

7. the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause

   Synonyms

   menstruationmensesmenstruumcatameniaperiod

   Broader terms

   dischargeemissionexpelling

   Examples

   the women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation

Verb

1. move or progress freely as if in a stream

   Synonyms

   flux

   Broader terms

   move

   Examples

   The crowd flowed out of the stadium

2. move along, of liquids

   Synonyms

   runfeedcourse

   Broader terms

   move

   Examples

   Water flowed into the cave

   the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi

3. cause to flow

   Broader terms

   inducestimulatecausehavegetmake

   Examples

   The artist flowed the washes on the paper

4. be abundantly present

   Broader terms

   existbe

   Examples

   The champagne flowed at the wedding

5. fall or flow in a certain way

   Synonyms

   hangfall

   Broader terms

   travelgomovelocomote

   Examples

   This dress hangs well

   Her long black hair flowed down her back

6. cover or swamp with water

   Broader terms

   flood

7. undergo menstruation

   Synonyms

   menstruate

   Broader terms

   shed bloodbleedhemorrhage

   Examples

   She started menstruating at the age of 11