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
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The dam in the city of Orsk could not contain the flow of water of the Ural river and broke in two places, local authorities told TASS.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, President Biden reportedly called on Israel to change course and take demonstrable steps to better preserve civilian life and enable the flow of aid.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Even though these are made of leather, which isn’t always known as super breathable, these have ventilation slits throughout, allowing for a nice air flow to keep your feet cool.
—Jessica Booth, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
Floor-to-ceiling windows trimmed with black metal reflect the easy indoor-outdoor flow and allow the garden’s lush foliage to feel like a part of the house.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s a general flow to the meal—usually sashimi and cold dishes in the beginning, fried and grilled things towards the middle, and then a rice or udon at the end, a bit of starch to fill you up and soak up the alcohol.
—Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 3 Apr. 2024
The first is Larry Culp, who’s engineered a sorcerous turnaround at General Electric—greatly streamlining its manufacturing flow by tapping the expertise of the assembly line folks who make the jet engines and power turbines.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Over time, these plaques can restrict blood flow to the heart and other parts of the body.3
Blood pressure that’s higher than normal can have a similar effect.
—Lauryn Higgins, Health, 27 Mar. 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
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
The dam in the city of Orsk could not contain the flow of water of the Ural river and broke in two places, local authorities told TASS.
—Radina Gigova, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, President Biden reportedly called on Israel to change course and take demonstrable steps to better preserve civilian life and enable the flow of aid.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024
Even though these are made of leather, which isn’t always known as super breathable, these have ventilation slits throughout, allowing for a nice air flow to keep your feet cool.
—Jessica Booth, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024
Floor-to-ceiling windows trimmed with black metal reflect the easy indoor-outdoor flow and allow the garden’s lush foliage to feel like a part of the house.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s a general flow to the meal—usually sashimi and cold dishes in the beginning, fried and grilled things towards the middle, and then a rice or udon at the end, a bit of starch to fill you up and soak up the alcohol.
—Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 3 Apr. 2024
The first is Larry Culp, who’s engineered a sorcerous turnaround at General Electric—greatly streamlining its manufacturing flow by tapping the expertise of the assembly line folks who make the jet engines and power turbines.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Over time, these plaques can restrict blood flow to the heart and other parts of the body.3
Blood pressure that’s higher than normal can have a similar effect.
—Lauryn Higgins, Health, 27 Mar. 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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