Flow

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Flow, imp. sing. 

 imp. sing. of Fly, v. i.  Chaucer.  [1913 Webster]

Flow, v. i. [AS. flōwan; akin to D. vloeijen, OHG. flawen to wash, Icel. flōa to deluge, Gr. plw`ein to float, sail, and prob. ultimately to E. float, fleet. √80. Cf. Flood.].

•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  To become liquid; to melt.  [1913 Webster]

  "The mountains flowed down at thy presence."  [1913 Webster]
•  To proceed; to issue forth; as, wealth flows from industry and economy.  [1913 Webster]

  "Those thousand decencies that daily flow
  From all her words and actions."  [1913 Webster]
•  To glide along smoothly, without harshness or asperties; as, a flowing period; flowing numbers; to sound smoothly to the ear; to be uttered easily.  [1913 Webster]

  "Virgil is sweet and flowingin his hexameters."  [1913 Webster]
•  To have or be in abundance; to abound; to full, so as to run or flow over; to be copious.  [1913 Webster]

  "In that day . . . the hills shall flow with milk."  [1913 Webster]

  "The exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl."  [1913 Webster]
•  To hang loose and waving; as, a flowing mantle; flowing locks.  [1913 Webster]

  "The imperial purple flowing in his train."  [1913 Webster]
•  To rise, as the tide; -- opposed to ebb; as, the tide flows twice in twenty-four hours.  [1913 Webster]

  "The river hath thrice flowed, no ebb between."  [1913 Webster]
•  To discharge blood in excess from the uterus.  [1913 Webster]

Flow, v. t. 

•  To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.  [1913 Webster]
•  To cover with varnish.  [1913 Webster]

Flow, n. 

•  A stream of water or other fluid; a current; as, a flow of water; a flow of blood.  [1913 Webster]
•  A continuous movement of something abundant; as, a flow of words.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any gentle, gradual movement or procedure of thought, diction, music, or the like, resembling the quiet, steady movement of a river; a stream.  [1913 Webster]

  "The feast of reason and the flow of soul."  [1913 Webster]
•  The tidal setting in of the water from the ocean to the shore. See Ebb and flow, under Ebb.  [1913 Webster]
•  A low-lying piece of watery land; -- called also flow moss and flow bog.  Jamieson.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Flow, v. & n.
--v.intr.
1 glide along as a stream (the Thames flows under London Bridge).
2 a (of a liquid, esp. water) gush out; spring. b (of blood, liquid, etc.) be spilt.
3 (of blood, money, electric current, etc.) circulate.
4 (of people or things) come or go in large numbers or smoothly (traffic flowed down the hill).
5 (of talk, literary style, etc.) proceed easily and smoothly.
6 (of a garment, hair, etc.) hang easily or gracefully; undulate.
7 (often foll. by from) result from; be caused by (his failure flows from his diffidence).
8 (esp. of the tide) be in flood; run full.
9 (of wine) be poured out copiously.
10 (of a rock or metal) undergo a permanent change of shape under stress.
11 (foll. by with) archaic be plentifully supplied with (land flowing with milk and honey).
--n.
1 a a flowing movement in a stream. b the manner in which a thing flows (a sluggish flow). c a flowing liquid (couldn't stop the flow). d a copious outpouring; a stream (a continuous flow of complaints).
2 the rise of a tide or a river (ebb and flow).
3 the gradual deformation of a rock or metal under stress.
4 Sc. a bog or morass.

Idiom

flow chart (or diagram or sheet)
1 a diagram of the movement or action of things or persons engaged in a complex activity.
2 a graphical representation of a computer program in relation to its sequence of functions (as distinct from the data it processes). flow of spirits habitual cheerfulness. flow-on Austral. a wage or salary adjustment made as a consequence of one already made in a similar or related occupation.

Etymology

OE flowan f. Gmc, rel. to FLOOD

THESAURUS

Flow

Atticism, Brownian movement, abound, abundance, accrue from, advance, affluence, afflux, affluxion, air flow, ample sufficiency, ampleness, amplitude, angular motion, appropriateness, arise, arise from, ascend, ascending, ascent, avalanche, axial motion, back, back up, backflowing, backing, backward motion, bag, be contingent on, be due to, be effortless, be painless, begin, blow out, bonanza, bountifulness, bountiousness, brim, bristle with, bubble, bud from, budge, bumper crop, burble, career, cascade, change, change place, chasteness, chastity, chylifaction, chylification, circle, circulate, clarity, classicalism, classicism, clearness, climb, climbing, coast, coasting, come, come from, come out of, comeliness, commute, concourse, confluence, conflux, continuance, continuation, continue, continuity, copiousness, correctness, course, cover, cover ground, crawl, crawl with, creep with, crosscurrent, current, daggle, dangle, defluxion, deluge, depend, depend on, derive from, descend, descend from, descending, descent, dignity, direct tide, directness, discharge, discrimination, disembogue, distinction, downflow, downpour, downward motion, drabble, drag, draggle, drain, drain out, drape, drift, driftage, droop, ease, ebb, ebb and flow, ebb tide, ebbing, effusion, egestion, ejaculation, ejection, elapse, elegance, elegancy, elimination, emanate, emanate from, emerge from, emission, emit, empty, endure, ensue from, excess, excretion, exhaust, expire, extravagance, extravasation, extrusion, exuberance, exuberate, exudation, facility, fall, fare, fare forth, felicitousness, felicity, fertility, fetch, find vent, finish, fittingness, flap, flight, flit, flood, flood tide, flop, flow back, flow from, flow in, flow on, flow out, flowing, flowing periods, fluency, fluidity, fluidness, flush, flux, flux and reflux, fluxility, fluxion, fly, foison, follow from, forward motion, full measure, full tide, fullness, gang, generosity, generousness, germinate from, get over, give no trouble, give off, glide, gliding, glissade, go, go along, go around, go by, go easily, go like clockwork, go on, go round, go sideways, good taste, grace, gracefulness, gracility, great abundance, great plenty, grow from, grow out of, gurgle, gush, gush out, gyrate, hang, hang down, hang on, head, hie, high tide, high water, hinge on, ice-skate, inflood, inflow, inpour, inrush, issue, issue from, jet, juiciness, lactation, lactescence, landslide, lapse, last, lavishness, liberality, liberalness, limpidity, liquefaction, liquidness, lop, lots, low tide, low water, lucidity, lunar tide, luxuriance, make, maximum, milkiness, mill run, millrace, moisture, more than enough, mount, mounting, move, move along, move on, move over, movement, much, myriad, myriads, naturalness, neap, neap tide, neatness, nod, numerousness, oblique motion, ongoing, onrush, onward course, opposite tide, opulence, opulency, originate, originate in, outflow, outpour, outpouring, overflow, overflowing, overspread, pass, pass by, passage, pellucidity, pend, perspicuity, plainness, plenitude, plenteousness, plentifulness, plenty, plethora, plunge, plunging, poetry, polish, pour, pour in, pour out, present no difficulties, press on, prevalence, proceed, proceed from, prodigality, productiveness, profuseness, profusion, progress, progression, proliferate, propriety, pullulate, purity, purl, quantities, race, radial motion, rain, random motion, refinement, reflowing, refluence, reflux, regress, regression, regurgitate, repleteness, repletion, restraint, retrogress, retrogression, rheuminess, rich harvest, rich vein, richness, riot, riotousness, rip, ripple, riptide, rise, rising, roll, roll on, roller-skate, rotate, run, run its course, run on, run out, run over, run smoothly, rush, sag, sail, sailing, sappiness, sashay, scads, secretion, seemliness, sequence, series, serosity, set, shift, shower, sideslip, sideward motion, simplicity, sink, sinking, skate, skateboard, skating, ski, skid, skiing, skim, sled, sledding, sleigh, slide, sliding, slip, slipping, slither, slithering, sluice, sluice out, smoothness, soar, soaring, solar tide, spate, spew, spew out, spill, spin, spout, spout out, spread, spring, spring from, spring tide, sprout from, spurt, squirt, stem, stem from, sternway, stir, straightforwardness, stream, subside, subsiding, substantiality, substantialness, succession, succulence, superabundance, supply, suppuration, surge, surge back, swag, swarm, swarm with, sweep, sweeping, swing, swirl, taste, tastefulness, teem, teem with, teemingness, terseness, thalassometer, tidal amplitude, tidal current, tidal current chart, tidal flow, tidal range, tide, tide chart, tide gate, tide gauge, tide race, tide rip, tidewater, tideway, tobogganing, trail, traject, trajet, transudation, travel, trend, trickle, turbulence, turn on, unaffectedness, undercurrent, undertow, upward motion, vomit forth, wane, water flow, wateriness, wayfare, wealth, weep, well, well out, wend, whirl, work well

ROGET THESAURUS

Flow

Sufficiency

VB be sufficient, suffice, do, just do, satisfy, pass muster, have enough, eat, one's fill, drink one's fill, have one's fill, roll in, swim in, wallow in, wanton, abound, exuberate, teem, flow, stream, rain, shower down, pour, pour in, swarm, bristle with, superabound, render sufficient, replenish, Adj, sufficient, enough, adequate, up to the mark, commensurate, competent, satisfactory, valid, tangible, measured, moderate, full, ample, plenty, plentiful, plenteous, plenty as blackberries, copious, abundant, abounding, replete, enough and to spare, flush, choke-full, chock-full, well-stocked, well- provided, liberal, unstinted, unstinting, stintless, without stint, unsparing, unmeasured, lavish, wholesale, rich, luxuriant, affluent, wantless, big with, unexhausted, unwasted, exhaustless, inexhaustible, Adv, sufficiently, amply.

Course

VB elapse, lapse, flow, run, proceed, advance, pass, roll on, wear on, press on, flit, fly, slip, slide, glide, run its course, run out, expire, go by, pass by, be past.

Pendency

VB be pendent, hang, depend, swing, dangle, swag, daggle, flap, trail, flow, beetle, suspend, hang, sling, hook up, hitch, fasten to, append.

Motion

N motion, movement, move, going, unrest, stream, flow, flux, run, course, stir, evolution, kinematics, telekinesis, step, rate, pace, tread, stride, gait, port, footfall, cadence, carriage, velocity, angular velocity, clip, progress, locomotion, journey, voyage, transit, restlessness, mobility, movableness, motive power, laws of motion, mobilization, moving, in motion, transitional, motory, motive, shifting, movable, mobile, mercurial, unquiet, restless, nomadic, erratic, under way, on the move, on the wing, on the tramp, on the march, eppur si muove, es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille, sich ein Charakter in dem Strom der Welt.

VB be in motion, move, go, hie, gang, budge, stir, pass, flit, hover about, hover round, hover about, shift, slide, glide, roll, roll on, flow, stream, run, drift, sweep along, wander, walk, change one's place, shift one's place, change one's quarters, shift one's quarters, dodge, keep going, keep moving, put in motion, set in motion, move, impel, propel, render movable, mobilize.

Fluidity

VB be fluid, flow, liquefy, melt, condense.

Stream

VB flow, blow.

River

N river, running water, jet, spirt, spurt, squirt, spout, spray, splash, rush, gush, jet d'eau, sluice, water spout, water fall, cascade, force, foss, lin, linn, ghyll, Niagara, cataract, rapids, white water, catadupe, cataclysm, debacle, inundation, deluge, chute, washout, rain, rainfall, serein, shower, scud, downpour, driving rain, drenching rain, cloudburst, hyetology, hyetography, predominance of Aquarius, reign of St. Swithin, mizzle, drizzle, stillicidum, plash, dropping, falling weather, northeaster, hurricane, typhoon, stream, course, flux, flow, profluence, effluence, defluxion, flowing, current, tide, race, coulee, spring, artesian well, fount, fountain, rill, rivulet, gill, gullet, rillet, streamlet, brooklet, branch, runnel, sike, burn, beck, creek, brook, bayou, stream, river, reach, tributary, geyser, spout, waterspout, body of water, torrent, rapids, flush, flood, swash, spring tide, high tide, full tide, bore, tidal bore, eagre, hygre, fresh, freshet, indraught, reflux, undercurrent, eddy, vortex, gurge, whirlpool, Maelstrom, regurgitation, overflow, confluence, corrivation, wave, billow, surge, swell, ripple, anerythmon gelasma, beach comber, riffle, rollers, ground swell, surf, breakers, white horses, whitecaps, rough sea, heavy sea, high seas, cross sea, long sea, short sea, chopping sea, hydrodynamics, hydraulics, hydraulicostatics, rain gauge, flowmeter, pegology, irrigation, pump, watering pot, watering cart, hydrant, syringe, garden hose, lawn spray, bhisti, mussuk, fluent, diffluent, profluent, affluent, tidal, flowing, meandering, meandry, meandrous, fluvial, fluviatile, streamy, showery, rainy, pluvial, stillicidous, stillatitious, for men may come and men may go but I go on foreve, that old man river, he just keeps rolling along.

VB flow, run, meander, gush, pour, spout, roll, jet, well, issue, drop, drip, dribble, plash, spirtle, trill, trickle, distill, percolate, stream, overflow, inundate, deluge, flow over, splash, swash, guggle, murmur, babble, bubble, purl, gurgle, sputter, spurt, spray, regurgitate, ooze, flow out, rain hard, rain in torrents, rain cats and dogs, rain pitchforks, pour with rain, drizzle, spit, set in, mizzle, flow into, fall into, open into, drain into, discharge itself, disembogue, pour, pour out, shower down, irrigate, drench, spill, splash, stanch, dam, up, obstruct.

Faintness

VB whisper, breathe, murmur, purl, hum, gurgle, ripple, babble, flow, tinkle, mutter, susurrate, steal on the ear, melt in the air, float on the air.