flow

verb

ˈflō 

flowed; flowing; flows

intransitive verb

1

a(1)

: to issue or move in a stream

rivers flowing into the sea

(2)

: circulate

air flowing through the room

(3)

: to move, come, or go continuously in one direction

Money has continued to flow in.

b

: to move with a continual change of place among the constituent particles

Molasses flows slowly.

water flowing over the dam

2

: rise

the tide ebbs and flows

3

: abound

a land flowing with natural resources

4

a

: to proceed smoothly and readily

conversation flowed easily

b

: to be drunk freely

Wine flowed all evening.

c

: to have a smooth continuity

the flowing lines of the car

5

: to hang loose and billowing

Her gown flowed around her.

6

: to derive from a source : come

the wealth that flows from trade

7

: to deform under stress without cracking or rupturing

—used especially of minerals and rocks

8

: menstruate

transitive verb

1

: to cause to flow

flowing oil over the swamp to kill mosquito larvae

2

: to discharge in a flow

The new oil well flowed 100 barrels a day.

Synonyms of flow

• stream
• pour

Choose the Right Synonym for flow

spring, arise, rise, originate, derive, flow, issue, emanate, proceed, stem mean to come up or out of something into existence.

spring implies rapid or sudden emerging.

an idea that springs to mind

arise and rise may both convey the fact of coming into existence or notice but rise often stresses gradual growth or ascent.

new questions have arisen

slowly rose to prominence

originate implies a definite source or starting point.

the fire originated in the basement

derive implies a prior existence in another form.

the holiday derives from an ancient Roman feast

flow adds to spring a suggestion of abundance or ease of inception.

words flowed easily from her pen

issue suggests emerging from confinement through an outlet.

blood issued from the cut

emanate applies to the coming of something immaterial (such as a thought) from a source.

reports emanating from the capital

proceed stresses place of origin, derivation, parentage, or logical cause.

advice that proceeds from the best of intentions

stem implies originating by dividing or branching off from something as an outgrowth or subordinate development.

industries stemming from space research

Examples of flow in a Sentence

rivers flowing into the sea

She opened the faucet and the water began to flow freely.

a device that measures the amount of electricity flowing through a circuit

Traffic has been flowing smoothly from east to west.

The grain flowed smoothly down the elevator chute.

Requests have flowed into the office.

Money has continued to flow in.

Recent Examples on the Web

Chilled water constantly flows through these channels, routing across the body’s major muscle groups to absorb metabolic heat and pump it away to the suit’s backpack life-support system. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 June 2026

The couple posed together in a few photos, with Palvin wearing a light blue dress with cap sleeves that flowed into a feather skirt. —Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026

The airy layout favored visitors’ experience, while brands had their creative juices flowing in coming up with bigger and more impactful installations that could grab the attention and smartly serve opportunities for social media content creation. —Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 9 June 2026

The donations flow through the Trust for the National Mall, a vehicle historically used to supplement government funds for limited park improvements. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English flōwan; akin to Old High German flouwen to rinse, wash, Latin pluere to rain, Greek plein to sail, float

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing flow

• cash flow
• ebb and flow
• flow cytometry
• flow diagram
• flow sheet
• flow-through entity
• gene flow
• go against the flow
• go with the flow
• in full flow
• inter-flow
• laminar flow
• peak flow meter
• turbulent flow
• work flow

Rhymes for flow

• beau
• beaut
• beaux
• blow
• bro
• coe
• crow
• doe
• doh
• dough
• eau
• eaux

Kids Definition

flow

1 of 2 verb

ˈflō 

1

: to move in a stream

2

: rise entry 1 sense 5a

the tide ebbs and flows

3

: to glide or pass smoothly and readily

4

: to hang loose and waving

her gown flowed around her

5

: to come from as a source

money that flows from trade

flowingly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb

flow

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act of flowing

2

a

: flood entry 1 sense 1

b

: the flowing in of the tide

the tide's ebb and flow

3

a

: a smooth even movement

b

: a mass of matter that has flowed when melted

a lava flow

4

: the quantity that flows in a certain time

the flow of water over a dam

Medical Definition

flow

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈflō 

1

: to move with a continual change of place among the constituent particles

blood flows toward the heart in veins

2

: menstruate

flow

2 of 2 noun

1

: the quantity that flows in a certain time

2

: menstruation

3

: the motion characteristic of fluids