FLOW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does flow mean? 

• FLOW (noun)
  The noun FLOW has 7 senses:

1. the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)

2. the amount of fluid that flows in a given time

3. the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression

4. any uninterrupted stream or discharge

5. something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously

6. dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas

7. the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause

  Familiarity information: FLOW used as a noun is common.

• FLOW (verb)
  The verb FLOW has 7 senses:

1. move or progress freely as if in a stream

2. move along, of liquids

3. cause to flow

4. be abundantly present

5. fall or flow in a certain way

6. cover or swamp with water

7. undergo menstruation

  Familiarity information: FLOW used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLOW (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

flow; flowing

Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):

change of location; travel (a movement through space that changes the location of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flow"):

discharge; outpouring; run (the pouring forth of a fluid)

rush; spate; surge; upsurge (a sudden forceful flow)

flush; gush; outpouring (a sudden rapid flow (as of water))

emission (the occurrence of a flow of water (as from a pipe))

dribble; drip; trickle (flowing in drops; the formation and falling of drops of liquid)

ooze; oozing; seepage (the process of seeping)

flux; fluxion (a flow or discharge)

drippage; dripping (a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house))

overflow; overspill; runoff (the occurrence of surplus liquid (as water) exceeding the limit or capacity)

freshet; spate (the occurrence of a water flow resulting from sudden rain or melting snow)

current; stream (a steady flow of a fluid (usually from natural causes))

air flow; airflow; flow of air (the flow of air)

backflow; backflowing (a flow that returns toward its source)

ebb; reflux (the outward flow of the tide)

fountain; jet (an artificially produced flow of water)

Derivation:

flow (move along, of liquids)

flow (cause to flow)

flow (be abundantly present)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The amount of fluid that flows in a given time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Synonyms:

flow; flow rate; rate of flow

Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):

rate (a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flow"):

cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped out by the ventricles in a given period of time)

Derivation:

flow (move along, of liquids)

flow (cause to flow)

flow (be abundantly present)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

flow; stream

Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):

motion; move; movement (the act of changing location from one place to another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flow"):

flood; outpouring; overflow (a large flow)

release; spill; spillage (the act of allowing a fluid to escape)

Derivation:

flow (move along, of liquids)

flow (cause to flow)

flow (be abundantly present)

flow (move or progress freely as if in a stream)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Any uninterrupted stream or discharge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):

action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flow"):

inflow; influx (the process of flowing in)

effluence; efflux; outflow (the process of flowing out)

flowage (gradual internal motion or deformation of a solid body (as by heat))

streamline flow (flow of a gas or liquid in which the velocity at any point is relatively steady)

turbulent flow (flow in which the velocity at any point varies erratically)

airstream; backwash; race; slipstream; wash (the flow of air that is driven backwards by an aircraft propeller)

filling (flow into something (as a container))

Derivation:

flow (cause to flow)

flow (be abundantly present)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

flow; stream

Context example:

the museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors

Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):

motion (a state of change)

Derivation:

flow (move or progress freely as if in a stream)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

current; flow; stream

Context example:

the current of history

Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):

course; line (a connected series of events or actions or developments)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

catamenia; flow; menses; menstruation; menstruum; period

Context example:

the semen begins to appear in males and to be emitted at the same time of life that the catamenia begin to flow in females

Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):

discharge; emission; expelling (any of several bodily processes by which substances go out of the body)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "flow"):

hypermenorrhea; menorrhagia (abnormally heavy or prolonged menstruation; can be a symptom of uterine tumors and can lead to anemia if prolonged)

oligomenorrhea (abnormally light or infrequent menstruation)

Derivation:

flow (undergo menstruation)

• FLOW (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Move or progress freely as if in a stream

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

flow; flux

Context example:

The crowd flowed out of the stadium

Hypernyms (to "flow" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flow"):

cockle; riffle; ripple; ruffle; undulate (stir up (water) so as to form ripples)

transpirate; transpire (pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

flow (the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression)

flow (something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move along, of liquids

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

course; feed; flow; run

Context example:

the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi

Hypernyms (to "flow" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flow"):

gutter (flow in small streams)

ooze; seep (pass gradually or leak through or as if through small openings)

drain; run out (flow off gradually)

dribble; filter; trickle (run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream)

stream; well out (flow freely and abundantly)

run out; spill (flow, run or fall out and become lost)

pour (flow in a spurt)

run down (move downward)

run off; waste (run off as waste)

eddy; purl; swirl; whirl; whirlpool (flow in a circular current, of liquids)

circulate (move through a space, circuit or system, returning to the starting point)

surge; tide (rise or move forward)

gush; jet (issue in a jet; come out in a jet; stream or spring forth)

flush (flow freely)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Sentence example:

Water and oil flow into the bowl

Also:

flow from (be the result of)

Derivation:

flow (the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression)

flow (the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases))

flow (the amount of fluid that flows in a given time)

flowing (the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause to flow

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The artist flowed the washes on the paper

Cause:

course; feed; flow; run (move along, of liquids)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

flow (the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression)

flow (the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases))

flow (any uninterrupted stream or discharge)

flow (the amount of fluid that flows in a given time)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Be abundantly present

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

The champagne flowed at the wedding

Hypernyms (to "flow" is one way to...):

be; exist (have an existence, be extant)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

flow (the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression)

flow (the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases))

flow (any uninterrupted stream or discharge)

flow (the amount of fluid that flows in a given time)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Fall or flow in a certain way

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

fall; flow; hang

Context example:

Her long black hair flowed down her back

Sentence frame:

Something ----s Adjective/Noun

Sense 6

Meaning:

Cover or swamp with water

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "flow" is one way to...):

flood (cover with liquid, usually water)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "flow"):

lap; lave; wash (wash or flow against)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

flowage (a body of water that has been created by deliberately flooding an area)

flowage (the act of flooding; filling to overflowing)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Undergo menstruation

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

flow; menstruate

Context example:

She started menstruating at the age of 11

Hypernyms (to "flow" is one way to...):

bleed; hemorrhage; shed blood (lose blood from one's body)

"Flow" entails doing...:

ovulate (produce and discharge eggs)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

flow (the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause)

 Context examples 

"We will be able to accurately measure blood flow to detect changes as small as 0.05 meters per second."

(Stretchable wireless sensor could monitor healing of cerebral aneurysms, National Science Foundation)

This agent also disrupts tumor neovascularization, reducing tumor blood flow and so inducing a cytotoxic effect.

(ABT-751, NCI Thesaurus)

It also might affect how you release chemicals that regulate blood pressure and flow.

(Acupuncture, NIH: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)

If the intraluminal thrombus at the site of plaque disruption totally occludes the vessel, blood flow beyond the obstruction will cease, prolonged ischemia will occur and MI (usually Q-wave MI) will likely result.

(Acute Myocardial Infarction Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Death had given back part of her beauty, for her brow and cheeks had recovered some of their flowing lines; even the lips had lost their deadly pallor.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

His right cheek was red with blood, which flowed from some wound in the head.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

These IMERG estimates indicate that rainfall totals greater than 180 mm (seven inches) occurred in this area where the Seine River flows toward Paris.

(France's Flooding Rains Examined by NASA’s IMERG, NASA)

Flows of gas from young massive stars open up cavities in interstellar clouds.

(Astronomers Reveal Interstellar Thread of One of Life’s Building Blocks, ESO)

He could not speak of this good friend of Emily's without a flow of tears.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

A disorder characterized by the acute loss of renal function and is traditionally classified as pre-renal (low blood flow into kidney), renal (kidney damage) and post-renal causes (ureteral or bladder outflow obstruction).

(Acute Renal Failure, NCI Thesaurus/CTCAE)