flow

SayFLOH/floʊ//fləʊ/

Verbflows, flowing, flowed

Noun pluralflows

22 meanings of flow

Practice

1
move as liquidverbintransitive
To move along the way a liquid does, from one place to another.
Like a stream moving over rocks.
Rivers flow toward the sea.
Lava flowed slowly down the mountainside.
UsageSay the river flowed (not ~~incorrect: flown~~).
Similarrun, pour, course, stream, rush
2
nouncountable or uncountable
A steady movement of water, air, people, or things in one direction.
Like water moving down a stream.
The flow of the river slowed as it reached the lake.
Engineers studied the flow of air over the wing.
UsageSay the flow of water or traffic.
Note
3
amount movingnouncountable or uncountable
The amount of liquid or gas that moves, or how fast it moves past a point.
Like how much water comes out of a tap and how fast it pours.
The nurse measured the flow of the drip.
A valve controls the flow of gas into the burner.
Similarcirculation, discharge
4
verbintransitive
To move or fit together in a smooth, graceful way.
Like a dance where every step joins the next without stopping.
The dancers flow across the stage together.
Her ideas flowed easily from one to the next.
UsageSay the story flows well, or it doesn't flow.
Similarblend, merge, segue, glide
Note
5
nouncountable or uncountable
A smooth, even quality, with no sudden stops or breaks.
Like a smooth ride with no bumps in the road.
The dancer moved with a natural flow.
His writing has a nice flow that makes it easy to read.
Similarfluency, fluidity, rhythm, continuity, coherence
6
come fromverbintransitive
To come out or spread steadily from a source.
Like heat spreading out from a fire.
Warm light flowed from the open doorway.
Kind words flow from her whenever someone is upset.
UsageSay good things flow from something.
Similaremanate, stem, spring, issue, arise
Note
7
software stepsnouncountable or uncountable
The steps a user or a program goes through to get something done in an app or website.
Like the steps in a recipe that you follow in order.
The app's sign-up flow has only three steps.
Designers tested the checkout flow to make it simpler.
UsageSay login flow or payment flow.
Similarprocess, sequence
Note
8
rapping skillnouncountable or uncountable
The skill of rapping smoothly in time with a beat.
Like a singer who keeps perfect time with the music.
That rapper has amazing flow.
The young rapper has a fast, smooth flow.
UsageSay his flow or her flow.
Similardelivery, cadence
Note
9
hang looselyverbintransitive
To hang loosely and move gently in the air, like hair or cloth.
Like a curtain that sways softly when a window is open.
Her long hair flowed in the wind as she ran.
The flags flow gently above the gate.
UsageSay flowing hair.
Similarbillow, stream, trail, swirl, flutter
Note

Less common meanings

10
deep focusnouncountable or uncountable
A focused state of mind where you fully enjoy a task and lose track of everything else.
Like being so caught up in a game that you forget everything around you.
The painter was in a state of flow and forgot the time.
When I'm in flow, the work feels effortless.
UsageSay you enter flow or reach a state of flow.
Similarabsorption, immersion
Note
11
period bloodnouncountable or uncountable
The blood that leaves the body during a monthly period.
Her flow was lighter than usual this month.
Some people get cramps when their flow begins.
Similarperiod, bleeding, menses
12
be plentifulverbintransitive
To be full of a very large amount of something, almost spilling over.
Like a cup so full that it spills over the edge.
The Bible describes a land flowing with milk and honey.
Their home always flows with warmth and laughter.
UsageSay a land flowing with good things.
Similarabound, overflow, teem, brim
Note
13
send liquid throughverbtransitive
To let a liquid run or pour out.
Like turning on a tap to let the water run out.
Workers flow water through the pipes to test for leaks.
The technician flowed water through the pipe to test for leaks.
Similarpump, run, feed, circulate
Note
14
nouncountable or uncountable
The rising movement of the sea as the tide comes in.
Like a bathtub slowly filling as the water rises.
The boats lifted higher with the flow of the tide.
The ebb and flow of the tide shapes the beach.
Similarflood, inflow
Oppositeebb
15
come in (tide)verbintransitive
When the tide comes in and the sea rises toward the shore.
Like water creeping higher up the sand as the sea comes in.
The tide began to flow just after noon, covering the rocks.
When the tide flows, the beach gets much smaller.
UsagePeople often say the tide comes in.
Similarrise, flood
Oppositeebb
Note
16
wrap textverbtransitive
To arrange text so it fits neatly into a set space on a page.
Like pouring water into a glass so it fills the shape.
The designer can flow the article into three columns.
She flowed the text around the photo to fill the page.
UsageSay flow text into a page.
Note
17
verbarchaic
To lose too much blood from the womb.
18
verbobsolete
To cover land with water, leaving it flooded.
19
noun
In math, a rule that describes how points move smoothly as time passes.
20
noun
The pipe that carries hot liquid away from a boiler.
21
verbrare
To cover something with a thin layer of varnish.
22
noundialectalScotland
A wet, muddy area of soft, boggy ground.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of flow apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 2–3, 5, 7–8, 10–11, 14

It came from the Middle English word flowe, which was made from the verb. In 1975, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first used the word in psychology to mean a "state of focus."

Meanings 1, 4, 6, 9, 12–13, 15–16

From Old English flōwan, meaning "to flow." It came from older Germanic and Indo-European roots that meant "to fly, flow, or run."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Flow descends from Old English flōwan through Middle English flowen. en.wiktionary.org
Old English flōwan meant 'to flow'. en.wiktionary.org
Flōwan descends from older Germanic and Indo-European roots. en.wiktionary.org
The Indo-European root is glossed 'to fly, flow, run'. en.wiktionary.org