flour

noun \ ˈflau̇(-ə)r \

Updated on: 12 Apr 2018

Definition of flour

1 : a product consisting of finely milled wheat; also : a similar product made from another grain or food product (such as dried potatoes or fish)

2 : a fine soft powder

—

flourless

adjective

—

floury

play \ˈflau̇(-ə)r-ē\ adjective

See flour defined for English-language learners

See flour defined for kids

Examples of flour in a Sentence

a five-pound bag of flour
mix the two flours together

Recent Examples of flour from the Web

Also, American food is highly fortified with vitamin D in milk, iodine in salt, B vitamins in flour, even calcium in some brands of orange juice.

— liz szabo, chicagotribune.com, "Older Americans are hooked on vitamins despite scarce evidence they work," 6 Apr. 2018
Also, American food is highly fortified — with vitamin D in milk, iodine in salt, B vitamins in flour, even calcium in some brands of orange juice.

— liz szabo, USA TODAY, "Are you over 65 and take vitamins? They don't usually help — and sometimes they harm," 4 Apr. 2018
Also, American food is highly fortified — with vitamin D in milk, iodine in salt, B vitamins in flour, even calcium in some brands of orange juice.

— liz szabo, Washington Post, "Older Americans Are Hooked On Vitamins Despite Scarce Evidence They Work," 4 Apr. 2018
Add 4 to 5 pieces of chicken to the bag and shake, coating thoroughly in seasoned flour.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "At Bubby’s, Chrissy Teigen Takes Brunch to the Next Level," 2 Apr. 2018
Gradually whisk in flour and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes.

— ann maloney, NOLA.com, "Crawfish Boil Soup recipe," 28 Mar. 2018
Dredge the chicken tenders, one by one, in the flour, then the egg, and then the panko breadcrumbs.

— ellise pierce, star-telegram, "Simple no-cook sauces for spring keep time in the kitchen to a minimum | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 28 Mar. 2018
In the middle of it all was Nayfeld, dressed in a pristine blue dress shirt that seemed photo-ready, with a black apron hanging over it, still covered in flour from the day’s recipe testing.

— justin phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Behind the scenes at Che Fico, one of San Francisco’s most anticipated new restaurants," 21 Mar. 2018
For the creole sauce: To make the brown roux, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.

— nancy miller, The Courier-Journal, "He never gets tired of the Hot Brown, but chef at The Brown Hotel is always looking ahead," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'flour.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of flour

Middle English — more at flower

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

flour

verb

Definition of flour

transitive verb

: to coat with or as if with flour

intransitive verb

: to break up into particles

See flour defined for English-language learners

Examples of flour in a Sentence

The fish should be lightly floured before it's fried.

Recent Examples of flour from the Web

Dump out mixture onto lightly floured table and form into a 7-inch round circle.

— judy buchenot, Naperville Sun, "Honoring dietary restrictions can be tricky," 2 Mar. 2018
Lightly flour a work surface and turn out the dough.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: New Orleans King Cake," 24 Jan. 2018
Pour batter into two greased and floured cake pans.

— teri mena, sacbee, "Recipe Mailbox: Simple chocolate cake not a sin | The Sacramento Bee," 23 Jan. 2018
Transfer dough to well-floured peel and stretch into 13-inch round.

— debbi snook, cleveland.com, "Thin-Crust Pizza from America's Test Kitchen (recipe)," 13 Dec. 2017
Punch the dough and roll out on floured surface to 1/3-inch thickness.

— nancy miller, The Courier-Journal, "Butchertown Grocery pastry chef teases autumn's best flavors, desserts," 3 Oct. 2017
Thaw pastry and roll out on lightly floured surface, and bake according to directions. While puff pastry bakes, whisk together the egg yolks with sugar until frothy. 2.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Memories of Gary's home delivery dairies remain," 22 Sep. 2017
For extra assurance for a clean removal, grease and flour the parchment as well.

— judy buchenot, Naperville Sun, "Naperville woman believes it's always a good time for cake," 5 Sep. 2017
Flour the top of the dough and roll it out to 1 ½ inches thick.

— jacqueline detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Cooking With Crickets Will Save the World. Here's How To Do It.," 3 May 2017

First Known Use of flour

circa 1657

FLOUR Defined for English Language Learners

flour

noun

Definition of flour for English Language Learners

: powder made from a grain (especially wheat) that is used in cooking for making bread, cakes, etc.

flour

verb

Definition of flour for English Language Learners

: to cover (something) with flour

FLOUR Defined for Kids

flour

noun \ ˈflau̇r \

Definition of flour for Students

: finely ground wheat or other food product

whole wheat flour

potato flour

Learn More about flour

See words that rhyme with flour Spanish Central: Translation of flour Nglish: Translation of flour for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of flour for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about flour

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flour

Definition of flour

flourless

floury

Examples of flour in a Sentence

Recent Examples of flour from the Web

Origin and Etymology of flour

Other Food Terms

flour

Definition of flour

Examples of flour in a Sentence

Recent Examples of flour from the Web

First Known Use of flour

Phrases Related to FLOUR

Related Phrases

FLOUR Defined for English Language Learners

flour

Definition of flour for English Language Learners

flour

Definition of flour for English Language Learners

FLOUR Defined for Kids

flour

Definition of flour for Students

Learn More about flour

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