flowed; flowing; flows
1
a(1)
: to issue or move in a stream
rivers flow into the sea
(2)
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 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
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.
plural flows
1
: an act of flowing
2
a
b
: flood sense 2
the tide's ebb and flow
3
4
: the quantity that flows in a certain time
a gauge that measures fuel flow
5
6
a
: the motion characteristic of fluids
b
: a continuous transfer of energy
7
chiefly African American English
: a rapper's lyrical delivery as characterized by cadence, speed, volume, rhyme, etc.
… [Cardi B's] flow is so relentless that for nearly three minutes she doesn't offer listeners a single moment to catch their breath.—
Lindsay Zoladz
Lindsay ZoladzHaving a great flow is the skill that can elevate an average rapper to a highly talented one.—Robby Seabrook III
Robby Seabrook IIISynonyms
Examples of flow in a Sentence
Verb
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.
Noun
a sudden flow of tears
a steady flow of traffic
The doctor was trying to stop the flow of blood.
We want to encourage the free flow of ideas.
the westward flow of settlers
We've been receiving a constant flow of phone calls.
measuring blood flow to the brain
Recent Examples on the WebCharna Flam, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
The bangs fall below her brows, brushing her eyelids, and flow into choppy layers that frame her face, while the rest of her hair falls at mid-chest.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 18 Apr. 2024
The fire spread to the ocean, but along its path, water pipes failed and water flowed unrestricted, dropping pressure in water mains to the point that no water was available from some fire hydrants in Lahaina.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
For far too long, ideological extremism, political cowardice, cynical exploitation, and war profiteering have been ceded an effective veto power over finding a pragmatic resolution to the conflict, while the blood of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples continues to flow.
—Ziad Asali, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
The United States has pushed for data to be able to flow between countries unhindered.
—David McCabe, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Most were for landslides and debris flows, plus a few wildfires.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of thousands of ironwood trees flowed out of the Peruvian Amazon between 2000 and 2020, many of them illegally logged and extracted from this region, Madre de Dios.
—Allison Keeley, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
People of all ages flow in and out of the center, moving with the rhythms of the hip-hop tracks thumping through the speakers.
—Brandon Sneed, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The Democratic administration has set a goal for 20% of the world’s advanced chips to be made in the United States and has restricted the flow of chips into China.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Gangs have destroyed dozens of hospitals and pharmacies and their control of roads have disrupted the flow of aid and food.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Here evergreen ornamentals such as dwarf cypress and Pittosporum alongside burgundy Loropetalum and heuchera create depth and texture with a cohesive flow.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Instead of focusing on outdated, misguided plans like the Sites Reservoir and Bay-Delta Plan, Gov. Newsom should direct agencies to increase flows in the rivers and tributaries that salmon call home.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
However, in a prime example of a final score not necessarily reflecting a game’s flow, the Legion needed to overcome a shaky start and 17-0 first-half deficit to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 at home this season.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Exercise also helps improve blood flow, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and maintain weight.
—Yuliya Klochan, Health, 14 Apr. 2024
Explore our new section The massive pumps that draw water into the aqueducts of the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project are strong enough to reverse the flow in parts of the south delta.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
The only color in the video -- a stream of pinks and yellows -- flows from Swift's typewriter.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
The bangs fall below her brows, brushing her eyelids, and flow into choppy layers that frame her face, while the rest of her hair falls at mid-chest.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 18 Apr. 2024
The fire spread to the ocean, but along its path, water pipes failed and water flowed unrestricted, dropping pressure in water mains to the point that no water was available from some fire hydrants in Lahaina.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
For far too long, ideological extremism, political cowardice, cynical exploitation, and war profiteering have been ceded an effective veto power over finding a pragmatic resolution to the conflict, while the blood of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples continues to flow.
—Ziad Asali, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
The United States has pushed for data to be able to flow between countries unhindered.
—David McCabe, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Most were for landslides and debris flows, plus a few wildfires.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of thousands of ironwood trees flowed out of the Peruvian Amazon between 2000 and 2020, many of them illegally logged and extracted from this region, Madre de Dios.
—Allison Keeley, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
People of all ages flow in and out of the center, moving with the rhythms of the hip-hop tracks thumping through the speakers.
—Brandon Sneed, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
Noun
On the other side of the glass, the studio engineers man a mixing console that controls the flow of audio.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 18 Apr. 2024
The Democratic administration has set a goal for 20% of the world’s advanced chips to be made in the United States and has restricted the flow of chips into China.
—Josh Boak, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Gangs have destroyed dozens of hospitals and pharmacies and their control of roads have disrupted the flow of aid and food.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024
Here evergreen ornamentals such as dwarf cypress and Pittosporum alongside burgundy Loropetalum and heuchera create depth and texture with a cohesive flow.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
Instead of focusing on outdated, misguided plans like the Sites Reservoir and Bay-Delta Plan, Gov. Newsom should direct agencies to increase flows in the rivers and tributaries that salmon call home.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
However, in a prime example of a final score not necessarily reflecting a game’s flow, the Legion needed to overcome a shaky start and 17-0 first-half deficit to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-0 at home this season.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Exercise also helps improve blood flow, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and maintain weight.
—Yuliya Klochan, Health, 14 Apr. 2024
Explore our new section The massive pumps that draw water into the aqueducts of the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project are strong enough to reverse the flow in parts of the south delta.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near flow
Cite this Entry
“Flow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flow. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
flow
1 of 2 verb1
: 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
flow
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of flowing
2
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 verb1
: to move with a continual change of place among the constituent particles
blood flows toward the heart in veins
2
flow
2 of 2 nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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