Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
flow - 8 dictionary results
Flow Cytometers
Flexible systems for every lab NEW! cell sorter and analyzer
www.coulterflow.com
Dictionary.com Free Toolbar
Define Flow Instantly. Faster Page Loads With Fewer Ads.
Dictionary.com

flow

  [floh]
Use flow in a Sentence
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To flow
flow   (flō)   
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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

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
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : flow
Spanish: fluir,
German: fließen,
Japanese: 流れる
More Translations »

Main Entry: 1flow
Pronunciation: 'flO
Function: intransitive verb
1 : to move with a continual change of place among the constituentparticles flows toward the heart in veins>
2 : MENSTRUATE

Main Entry: 2flow
Function: noun
1 : the quantity that flows in a certain time
2 : MENSTRUATION
3 : the motion characteristic of fluids
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

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.
Cite This Source

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
Cite This Source

flow

see ebb and flow; go with the flow.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see flow on Thesaurus | Reference
Flow Cytometers
Flexible systems for every lab NEW! cell sorter and analyzer
www.coulterflow.com