streaming

1 of 2

noun

stream·​ing ˈstrē-miŋ 

1

: the act, the process, or an instance of streaming data (see stream entry 2 sense transitive 3) or of accessing data that is being streamed

… among the hundreds whose presentations are freely available for streaming on the conference website.

—Joanne McNeil

Streaming is preferable for sites that feature live broadcasts (e.g. live speeches and keynote addresses), in which case downloading files is not an option.

—Neo Mai and Ken Neo T. K.

2

: an act or instance of flowing

specifically : cyclosis

3

British : tracking sense 1

streaming

2 of 2

adjective

: relating to or being the transfer of data (such as audio or video material) in a continuous stream especially for immediate processing or playback

Examples of streaming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But in the modern streaming era, TV and film executives are ever willing to take that risk. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026

Each streaming service offers a free trial for anywhere from three to five days to new users. — Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 19 July 2026

Adjective

The first 10 picks can be seen over the air on NBC’s main channel and on its streaming app, Peacock. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 July 2026

As Variety explored at length in a cover story last year, this group of filmmakers have been marginalized in a post-streaming world of shrinking budgets. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1980, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing streaming

• live-streaming

Rhymes for streaming

• beaming
• creaming
• deeming
• dreaming
• gleaming
• leaming
• reaming
• scheming
• screaming
• seaming
• seeming
• steaming

Kids Definition

streaming

adjective

stream·​ing

ˈstrē-miŋ

: playing continuously as data is sent to a computer over the Internet

streaming video

Medical Definition

streaming

noun

stream·​ing ˈstrē-miŋ 

: an act or instance of flowing

specifically : cyclosis