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11 dictionary results for: Flow
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
flow       [floh] Pronunciation Key
–verb (used without object)
1.to move along in a stream: The river flowed slowly to the sea.
2.to circulate: blood flowing through one's veins.
3.to stream or well forth: Warmth flows from the sun.
4.to issue or proceed from a source: Orders flowed from the office.
5.to menstruate.
6.to come or go as in a stream: A constant stream of humanity flowed by.
7.to proceed continuously and smoothly: Melody flowed from the violin.
8.to hang loosely at full length: Her hair flowed over her shoulders.
9.to abound in something: The tavern flowed with wine.
10.to rise and advance, as the tide (opposed to ebb).
–verb (used with object)
11.to cause or permit to flow: to flow paint on a wall before brushing.
12.to cover with water or other liquid; flood.
–noun
13.an act of flowing.
14.movement in or as if in a stream.
15.the rate of flowing.
16.the volume of fluid that flows through a passage of any given section during a unit of time: Oil flow of the well was 500 barrels a day.
17.something that flows; stream.
18.an outpouring or discharge of something, as in a stream: a flow of blood.
19.menstruation.
20.an overflowing; flood.
21.the rise of the tide (opposed to ebb).
22.Machinery. progressive distortion of a metal object under continuous service at high temperature.
23.Physics. the transference of energy: heat flow.
[Origin: bef. 900; (v.) ME flowen, OE flōwan; akin to MLG vlōien, ON flōa; (n.) late ME: surge of a wave, deriv. of the v.]

—Related forms
flow·a·ble, adjective
flow·a·bil·i·ty, noun

—Synonyms 1. Flow, gush, spout, spurt refer to certain of the movements characteristic of fluids. Flow is the general term: Water flows. A stream of blood flows. To gush is to rush forth copiously from a cavity, in as large a volume as can issue therefrom, as the result of some strong impelling force: The water will gush out if the main breaks. Spout and spurt both imply the ejecting of a liquid from a cavity by some internal impetus given to it. Spout implies a rather steady, possibly well-defined, jet or stream, not necessarily of long duration but always of considerable force: A whale spouts. Spurt implies a forcible, possibly sudden, spasmodic, or intermittent issue or jet: The liquid spurted out suddenly when the bottle cap was pushed in. Spout applies only to liquids; the other terms apply also to gases. 7. run. 9. teem.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
flow       (flō)  Pronunciation Key 
v.   flowed, flow·ing, flows

v.   intr.
    1. To move or run smoothly with unbroken continuity, as in the manner characteristic of a fluid.
    2. To issue in a stream; pour forth: Sap flowed from the gash in the tree.
    3. To abound or teem: coffers flowing with treasure.
    4. To stream copiously; flood: Contributions flowed in from all parts of the country.
  2. To circulate, as the blood in the body.
  3. To move with a continual shifting of the component particles: wheat flowing into the bin; traffic flowing through the tunnel.
  4. To proceed steadily and easily: The preparations flowed smoothly.
  5. To exhibit a smooth or graceful continuity: The poem's cadence flowed gracefully.
  6. To hang loosely and gracefully: The cape flowed from his shoulders.
  7. To rise. Used of the tide.
  8. To arise; derive: Many conclusions flow from this hypothesis.
    1. To abound or teem: coffers flowing with treasure.
    2. To stream copiously; flood: Contributions flowed in from all parts of the country.
  10. To menstruate.
  11. To undergo plastic deformation without cracking or breaking. Used of rocks, metals, or minerals.

v.   tr.
  1. To release as a flow: trees flowing thin sap.
  2. To cause to flow: "One of the real keys to success is developing a system where you can flow traffic to yourselves" (Marc Klee).

n.  
    1. The act of flowing.
    2. The smooth motion characteristic of fluids.
    3. A stream or current.
    4. A flood or overflow.
    5. A residual mass that has stopped flowing: a hardened lava flow.
    6. A continuous output or outpouring: a flow of ideas; produced a steady flow of stories.
    7. A continuous movement or circulation: the flow of traffic; a flow of paperwork across his desk.
    1. A stream or current.
    2. A flood or overflow.
    3. A residual mass that has stopped flowing: a hardened lava flow.
    4. A continuous output or outpouring: a flow of ideas; produced a steady flow of stories.
    5. A continuous movement or circulation: the flow of traffic; a flow of paperwork across his desk.
    1. A continuous output or outpouring: a flow of ideas; produced a steady flow of stories.
    2. A continuous movement or circulation: the flow of traffic; a flow of paperwork across his desk.
  4. The amount that flows in a given period of time.
  5. The rising of the tide.
  6. Continuity and smoothness of appearance.
  7. A general movement or tendency: a dissenter who went against the flow of opinion.
  8. The sequence in which operations are performed.
  9. An apparent ease or effortlessness of performance: "An athlete must learn to forget the details of his or her training to achieve the instinctive sense of flow that characterizes a champion" (Frederick Turner).
  10. Menstrual discharge.


[Middle English flouen, from Old English flōwan; see pleu- in Indo-European roots.]

flow'ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: These nouns denote something suggestive of running water: a flow of thought; the current of history; a flood of ideas; a flux of words; a rush of sympathy; a stream of complaints; a tide of immigration. See Also Synonyms at stem1.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
flow  (v.)
O.E. flowan (class VII strong verb; past tense fleow, pp. flowen), from P.Gmc. *flo- (cf. Du. vloeien "to flow," O.N. floa "to deluge," O.H.G. flouwen "to rinse, wash"), probably from PIE *pleu- "flow, float" (cf. Skt. plavate "navigates, swims," plavayati "overflows;" Armenian helum "I pour;" Gk. plyno "I wash," pleo "swim, go by sea;" L. pluere "to rain;" O.C.S. plovo "to flow, navigate;" Lith. pilu "to pour out," plauti "rinse"). The weak form predominated from 14c., but strong pp. flown is occasionally attested through 18c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
flow

noun
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; "a stream of people emptied from the terminal"; "the museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors" [syn: stream] 
6. dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas; "two streams of development run through American history"; "stream of consciousness"; "the flow of thought"; "the current of history" [syn: stream] 
7. the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause; "the women were sickly and subject to excessive menstruation"; "a woman does not take the gout unless her menses be stopped"--Hippocrates; "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"--Aristotle [syn: menstruation] 

verb
1. move or progress freely as if in a stream; "The crowd flowed out of the stadium" 
2. move along, of liquids; "Water flowed into the cave"; "the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi" [syn: run] 
3. cause to flow; "The artist flowed the washes on the paper" 
4. be abundantly present; "The champagne flowed at the wedding" 
5. fall or flow in a certain way; "This dress hangs well"; "Her long black hair flowed down her back" [syn: hang] 
6. cover or swamp with water 
7. undergo menstruation; "She started menstruating at the age of 11" [syn: menstruate] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

flow

see ebb and flow; go with the flow.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

flow (flō)
v. flowed, flow·ing, flows

  1. To move or run smoothly with unbroken continuity.
  2. To circulate, as the blood in the body.
  3. To menstruate.
n.
  1. The smooth motion characteristic of fluids.
  2. The volume of fluid or gas passing a given point per unit of time.
  3. Menstrual discharge.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

Flow tool
A companion utility to Floppy by Julian James Bunn . Flow allows the user to produce various reports on the structure of Fortran 77 code, such as flow diagrams and common block tables. It runs under VMS, Unix, CMS.
Posted to comp.sources.misc volume 31.
(1995-03-14)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Flow

Flow\ (fl[=o]), obs. imp. sing. of Fly, v. i. --Chaucer.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Flow

Flow\ (fl[=o]), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Flowed (fl[=o]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Flowing.] [AS. fl[=o]wan; akin to D. vloeijen, OHG. flawen to wash, Icel. fl[=o]a to deluge, Gr. plw`ein to float, sail, and prob. ultimately to E. float, fleet. [root]80. Cf. Flood.]

1. To move with a continual change of place among the particles or parts, as a fluid; to change place or circulate, as a liquid; as, rivers flow from springs and lakes; tears flow from the eyes.

2. To become liquid; to melt.

The mountains flowed down at thy presence. --Is. lxiv. 3.

3. To proceed; to issue forth; as, wealth flows from industry and economy.

Those thousand decencies that daily flow From all her words and actions. --Milton.

4. To glide along smoothly, without harshness or asperties; as, a flowing period; flowing numbers; to sound smoothly to the ear; to be uttered easily.

Virgil is sweet and flowingin his hexameters. --Dryden.

5. To have or be in abundance; to abound; to full, so as to run or flow over; to be copious.

In that day . . . the hills shall flow with milk. --Joel iii. 18.

The exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl. --Prof. Wilson.

6. To hang loose and waving; as, a flowing mantle; flowing locks.

The imperial purple flowing in his train. --A. Hamilton.

7. To rise, as the tide; -- opposed to ebb; as, the tide flows twice in twenty-four hours.

The river hath thrice flowed, no ebb between. --Shak.

8. To discharge blood in excess from the uterus.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Flow

Flow\, v. t. 1. To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.

2. To cover with varnish.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Flow

Flow\, n. 1. A stream of water or other fluid; a current; as, a flow of water; a flow of blood.

2. A continuous movement of something abundant; as, a flow of words.

3. Any gentle, gradual movement or procedure of thought, diction, music, or the like, resembling the quiet, steady movement of a river; a stream.

The feast of reason and the flow of soul. --Pope.

4. The tidal setting in of the water from the ocean to the shore. See Ebb and flow, under Ebb.

5. A low-lying piece of watery land; -- called also flow moss and flow bog. [Scot.] --Jamieson.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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