# stream

Pronunciation: say "STREEM" /stɹiːm/

## Noun

1. A small river or large creek: a body of moving water held between two banks.
   - Simple: A small river or large creek with water flowing between two banks.
   - _Trout thrive in the cold mountain stream above the village._
   - _Several small streams feed into the lake from the surrounding hills._
3. A continuous flow or steady succession of something, such as water, air, people, vehicles, words, or the course of a person's thoughts.
   - Simple: A lot of things or people coming one after another without stopping, or a continuous flow of water, air, words, or thoughts.
   - _A constant stream of visitors filed through the gallery._
   - _Her speech delivered a stream of vivid images._
5. A single instance of digital data, such as music or video, being delivered and played continuously over a network.
   - Simple: One play of a song or video sent over the internet while you watch or listen.
   - _Artists now earn much of their income from streams rather than album sales._
   - _Every stream of the track adds to its chart position._
6. A live broadcast of video or audio transmitted over the internet, watched by an audience as the event unfolds.
   - Simple: A live video or audio broadcast sent over the internet as it happens.
   - _The developer's launch stream drew over a million concurrent viewers._
   - _Moderators kept the chat civil throughout the long stream._
8. A distinct route, channel, or division through which something proceeds, or a particular way of going about it.
   - Simple: A particular path, channel, or way of moving forward.
   - _The organization manages three separate revenue streams._
   - _Each application is sorted into the appropriate processing stream._
9. A source or repository of data that can be read from or written to only in sequence.
   - Simple: A flow of computer data that you read or write one piece at a time, in order.
   - _The parser consumes the input stream token by token._
   - _Writing to the output stream flushes each buffer in turn._
10. The current of a body of water; the force exerted by water in motion.
   - Simple: The pushing force of moving water in a river or sea.
   - _The kayaker let the stream pull her around the bend._
   - _Rowing against the stream tired them within minutes._
11. One of the groups into which pupils of the same school year are divided according to their perceived ability. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A group that students are placed in based on how able they are thought to be.
   - _At her school, pupils in the top stream study two foreign languages._
   - _Teachers debated whether moving her to a higher stream would help._

## Verb

2. To deliver continuous data such as music or video from a server to a device, playing it as it arrives rather than after a full download.
   - Simple: To send music, video, or other data over the internet so it plays right away while it downloads.
   - _The service lets subscribers stream thousands of films directly to their televisions._
   - _Their app streams audio at higher quality over fast connections._
4. To broadcast live video or audio over the internet, transmitting an event to viewers as it takes place.
   - Simple: To broadcast video or audio live over the internet as it happens.
   - _Thousands of gamers stream their sessions on dedicated platforms._
   - _He streamed the protest live from the city square._
7. Of a liquid, gas, light, or crowd, to flow or move in a continuous, steady current; also, of a source, to pour out liquid in a steady flow.
   - Simple: To flow or move steadily in a continuous line, like water. Or to have liquid pouring out, as a cut streaming blood.
   - _Cold air streamed through the gap beneath the door all night._
   - _Commuters stream into the station every morning at rush hour._
12. To extend and stretch out with a wavy motion, as a flag or banner floats in the wind.
   - Simple: To stretch out and wave or float in the wind.
   - _Banners streamed from every balcony during the festival._
   - _Pennants stream from the masts whenever the wind picks up._

## Origin

From Middle English streem, from Old English strēam, from Proto-Germanic *straumaz and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *srew- meaning "to flow." It is related to Dutch stroom, German Strom, and Swedish ström, all meaning "current" or "stream."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/stream (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).