Library / English Dictionary |
FLOW
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
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"):
release; spill; spillage (the act of allowing a fluid to escape)
flood; outpouring; overflow (a large flow)
Derivation:
flow (move or progress freely as if in a stream)
flow (move along, of liquids)
flow (cause to flow)
flow (be abundantly present)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
Synonyms:
flow; flowing
Classified under:
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"):
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)
discharge; outpouring; run (the pouring forth of a fluid)
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 3
Meaning:
Dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas
Example:
the current of history
Synonyms:
current; flow; stream
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):
course; line (a connected series of events or actions or developments)
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"):
effluence; efflux; outflow (the process of flowing out)
inflow; influx (the process of flowing in)
flowage (gradual internal motion or deformation of a solid body (as by heat))
filling (flow into something (as a container))
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)
Derivation:
flow (cause to flow)
flow (be abundantly present)
Sense 5
Meaning:
The monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause
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
Synonyms:
catamenia; flow; menses; menstruation; menstruum; period
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
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)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously
Example:
the museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors
Synonyms:
flow; stream
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("flow" is a kind of...):
motion (a state of change)
Derivation:
flow (move or progress freely as if in a stream)
Sense 7
Meaning:
The amount of fluid that flows in a given time
Synonyms:
flow; flow rate; rate of flow
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
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)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Example:
She started menstruating at the age of 11
Synonyms:
flow; menstruate
Classified under:
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care
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)
Sense 2
Meaning:
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 3
Meaning:
Example:
Her long black hair flowed down her back
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Sentence frame:
Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Sense 4
Meaning:
Move or progress freely as if in a stream
Example:
The crowd flowed out of the stadium
Synonyms:
flow; flux
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
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"):
transpirate; transpire (pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas)
cockle; riffle; ripple; ruffle; undulate (stir up (water) so as to form ripples)
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 5
Meaning:
Example:
the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi
Synonyms:
course; feed; flow; run
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
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 6
Meaning:
Example:
The artist flowed the washes on the paper
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
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 7
Meaning:
Example:
The champagne flowed at the wedding
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
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)
Context examples:
Life was flowing through him again, splendid and indomitable.
(White Fang, by Jack London)
This inactivates fibrinogen and leads to a reduction in blood viscosity, increases blood flow and perfusion of the microcirculation.
(Ancrod, NCI Thesaurus)
Then he walked more slowly, suddenly lost his fine flow of language, and now and then a dreadful pause occurred.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Angina is chest pain or discomfort you feel when there is not enough blood flow to your heart muscle.
(Angina, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
Its clearance corresponds to the renal plasma blood flow.
(Aminohippurate Sodium, NCI Thesaurus)
A substance that relaxes muscle tissue in blood vessels and in the prostate gland, which improves the flow of urine and blood.
(Alpha-adrenergic antagonist, NCI Dictionary)
Alprostadil is a potent vasodilator agent that increases peripheral blood flow, inhibits platelet aggregation, and induces bronchodilation.
(Alprostadil, NCI Thesaurus)
And into that lake flowed a small stream, the water of which was not milky.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
She was dressed in green silk gauze and wore upon her flowing green locks a crown of jewels.
(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)
I believe if you are making an appearance, profits will flow from your event or from the sale of your products if you introduce them to those who come on that weekend.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)