outflow

verb out·flow \ ˈau̇t-ˌflō , ˌau̇t-ˈflō \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of outflow

: to flow out

Recent Examples of outflow from the Web

Heavy rains routinely overload Baltimore’s aged sewer system, sending human waste out of manholes and outflows that pour directly into the Jones Falls.

— scott dance, baltimoresun.com, "Weekend rain washes 10 million gallons of sewage-contaminated water into Baltimore's Jones Falls," 30 May 2018
The dam outflows below Wheeler and Wilson dams continue to produce some lunker smallmouths, with a fish over 8 pounds reported last week along with lots in the 4 to 5 pound class.

— frank sargeant, AL.com, "Friday Fishing Report," 30 Mar. 2018
And that doesn't account for the currents and outflowing tides that impeded him.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Sea of Dreams: How William Wrigley Jr. brought the Wrigley Ocean Marathon to life," 23 June 2017

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

First Known Use of outflow

before 12th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

outflow

noun out·flow \ ˈau̇t-ˌflō \

Definition of outflow

1 : a flowing out

the outflow of dollars

2 : something that flows out

outflow of a sewage treatment plant

See outflow defined for English-language learners

See outflow defined for kids

Examples of outflow in a Sentence

We joined the outflow of fans from the stadium after the game.
The vents provide improved outflow of air.

Recent Examples of outflow from the Web

Carbon in interstellar dust is the outflow of what are known as carbon stars, typically a red giant that contains more carbon than oxygen.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Milky Way Is Full of Potentially Toxic "Space Grease"," 28 June 2018
This collapsing socialist state is suffering one of the most dramatic outflows of human talent in modern history, with Aquiles Nazoa offering a glimpse into what happens when a nation begins to empty out.

— anthony faiola and rachelle krygier, chicagotribune.com, "A historic exodus is leaving Venezuela without teachers, doctors and electricians," 4 June 2018
That’s the first time since 2000 that South Africa posted outflows in the corresponding period.

— colleen goko, Bloomberg.com, "South African Rand Is Back to Its Bad Old Way," 21 May 2018
On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte railed against unlicensed developments on the island and highlighted the outflow of raw sewage to the sea around it.

— david meyer, Fortune, "Zuckerberg Speaks, Oracle and Trump, YouTube Security: CEO Daily for April 5, 2018," 5 Apr. 2018
Last week, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev acknowledged that imposing heavy cryptocurrency regulation in Russia could risk encouraging the possible outflow of ICOs from Russia into the special economic zone of Belarus.

— tatsiana kulakevich, Washington Post, "Why would authoritarian Belarus liberalize cryptocurrencies?," 25 Jan. 2018
The Tehran Times quoted Mohammad Reza Pourebrahimi, head of parliament's economic committee, as saying the ban would prevent an outflow of $10 billion of foreign currency.

— andrew torchia, The Christian Science Monitor, "Iran bans over 1,300 imports amid protests over its plunging currency," 26 June 2018
As a result, there’s less housing outflow from this demographic than there used to be, contributing to a shortage of existing homes for sale.

— jeff andrews, Curbed, "U.S. housing market continues rebound, despite increased inequality, says Harvard report," 19 June 2018
But the stockmarket crash of 2015 and the huge capital outflows in 2016 also persuaded President Xi Jinping that financial frailties were endangering national security and that the country needed a change in policy.

— The Economist, "China has made progress in tackling financial risks," 14 June 2018