flow en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- [ˈfloʊ̯] (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
- (US) audio
- /ˈfləʉ̯/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈflɵʊ̯/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈflɘ̞ʉ̯] (Australia, New-Zealand)
- [ˈflɐ̝ʉ̯] (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈflɔʊ̯/ (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
- /ˈfloʊ̯/ (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
- [ˈfləʉ̯] (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈflɐʉ̯/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈflɘʉ̯/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- [ˈfləʊ̯] (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈflɵ̞ʊ̯] (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈfləʊ̯/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈflɔʊ̯] (Canadian, General-American, Standard)
Etymology
From Middle English flowe, from the verb (see below). The psychology sense “state of focus” was coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1975.
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) Movement in people or things characterized with a continuous motion, involving either a non solid mass or a multitude.
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(countable, uncountable) The movement of a real or figurative fluid.
Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 48:
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(countable, uncountable) A formalization of the idea of the motion of particles in a fluid, as a group action of the real numbers on a set.
The notion of flow is basic to the study of ordinary differential equations.
- (countable, uncountable) The rising movement of the tide.
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(countable, uncountable) Smoothness or continuity.
The room was small, but it had good symmetry and flow.
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(countable, uncountable) The amount of a fluid that moves or the rate of fluid movement.
Turn on the valve and make sure you have sufficient flow.
Other devices measure water flow in streams fed by melted ice.
- (countable, uncountable) A flow pipe, carrying liquid away from a boiler or other central plant (compare with return pipe which returns fluid to central plant).
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(countable, uncountable) A mental state characterized by concentration, focus, and enjoyment of a given task.
The point about flow is that it is enjoyable. As research has shown "the more often athletes experienced flow, the happier they were." But the second is that entering flow actually improves performance.
2014 January 14, Alex Lockwood, “How to achieve a state of flow when running”, in The Guardian:
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(countable, uncountable) The emission of blood during menstruation.
Tampons can be small or large, slender or thick. From “slender” to “super”, you can pick the size that matches your flow.
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(countable, qualifier:rap music jargon, uncountable) The ability to skillfully rap along to a beat.
Now shawty said she feelin' my style, she feelin' my flow […] / My flow, my show brought me the dough / That bought me all my fancy things
2003, “In da Club”, in Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent:The production on his new mixtape is mediocre but his flow is on point.
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(countable, uncountable) The sequence of steps taken in a piece of software to perform some action.
I'm setting up event tracking for a pretty standard, multi-step signup flow, and I'm wondering [...]
2015, Dan, “Best practices for tracking progress through a sign up flow”, in snowplow-user mailing list:login flow
search flow
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| flows | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
ebb (antonym(s) of “movement of the tide”)
Deriveds
stemflow · cerebral blood flow · control-flow graph · return flow · flowy · flowmetric · laminar flow hood · blood flow · lineflow · nonflow · coflow · data flow diagram · flower · microflow · flow bean · stormflow · in flow · flowrate · autoflow · flow cytometry · lateral flow test · adjusted flow time · flowpath · flowsnake · flow control · conflow · foreflow · uniflow · workflow · go with the flow of traffic · flowgraph · flow production · hyperflow · flow cytometer · multiflow · go with the flow · flowage · cold flow · flowmotion · waterflow · flowlike · interflow · flow-on · flow rate · throughflow · overflow · flow tracer · flow arts · ashflow · flow motion · uroflow · flow chart · jet flow · contraflow · flowgram · flow-on effect · flowant · flowchart · flowless · newsflow · semiflow · peak flow meter · flowline · Fanno flow · superflow · wake flow · isocratic flow · flow blue · backflow · flow state · flow field · data flow · counterflow · geneflow · water flow · mass flow · flow network · flowgraphy · flowstone · rainflow · ebb and flow · freeflow · afterflow · turbulent flow · only dead fish go with the flow · flowtop · byflow · laminar flow · in full flow · free cash flow · baseflow · Hubble flow · plastic flow · sheet flow · single-flow · wordflow · Couette flow · mudflow · transverse flow effect · nanoflow · flowcytometric · flowmeter · mindflow · flow cytophotometry · floodflow · flowmap · isentropic flow · gene flow · Knudsen flow · flow stress · flow sheet · hyperpycnal flow · pyroclastic flow · off-flow · grainflow · page flow · flow on effect · flow variable · flow battery · Ricci flow · air flow · flow cell · flow diagram · streamflow · earthflow · flowtime · aflow · flowthrough · flowsheet · cash flow · crossflow · flow art · slushflow · peak flow · flowability
Hyponyms
antiflow · reflow · overflow · postflow · non-Newtonian flow · lava flow · inviscid flow · deal flow · onflow · midflow · subflow · inflow · preflow · airflow · outflow · downflow · irrotational flow · control flow · dark flow · upflow
Translations (163)
sv ström (the movement of a fluid) · ka დენა (the movement of a fluid) · ca flux (the movement of a fluid) · la fluxus (the movement of a fluid) · ca cabal (rate of fluid movement) · uk поті́к (the movement of a fluid) · el είμαι ένα με (being at one with) · be цячэ́нне (the movement of a fluid) · tr seyelan (the movement of a fluid) · nl stroom (the movement of a fluid) · sv flöde (the movement of a fluid) · uz yurum (smoothness or continuity) · no strøm (the movement of a fluid) · sk prúd (the movement of a fluid) · ca flux (smoothness or continuity) · uk те́ча (the movement of a fluid) · tt агыш (the movement of a fluid) · pt caudal (rate of fluid movement) · luy omuhula (the movement of a fluid) · de Fluss (the movement of a fluid) · nl ronding (smoothness or continuity) · sh тѐче̄ње (the movement of a fluid) · id aliran (rate of fluid movement) · bg дебит (rate of fluid movement) · bg тече́ние (the movement of a fluid) · ta ஓதம் (the rising movement of the tide) · ro flux (the rising movement of the tide) · fi nousuvesi (the rising movement of the tide) · id debit (rate of fluid movement) · ru пла́вность (smoothness or continuity) · sw mkondo (smoothness or continuity) · es flujo (smoothness or continuity) · el ροή (the movement of a fluid) · hi बहाव (the movement of a fluid) · ar تَدَفُّق (the movement of a fluid) · nrf fllot (the rising movement of the tide) · es flujo (the rising movement of the tide) · br lanv (the rising movement of the tide) · ltg tekme (the movement of a fluid) · sk tok (the movement of a fluid) · ta ஓட்டம் (rate of fluid movement) · da strøm (the movement of a fluid) · et vool (the movement of a fluid) · mk при́лив (the rising movement of the tide) · ru пото́к (the movement of a fluid) · et ladusus (smoothness or continuity) · fi virtaus (the movement of a fluid) · et sujuvus (smoothness or continuity) · ca flux (the rising movement of the tide) · scn flussu (the movement of a fluid) · it flusso (the movement of a fluid) · lv plūsma (the movement of a fluid) · ast fluxu (the movement of a fluid) · eo alfluo (the rising movement of the tide) · no flom (the movement of a fluid) · it flusso (the rising movement of the tide) · ka დინება (the movement of a fluid) · sa रेतस् (the movement of a fluid) · sh tèčēnje (the movement of a fluid) · eo alfluo (the movement of a fluid) · es caudal (rate of fluid movement) · pt caudal (the movement of a fluid) · nl afronding (smoothness or continuity) · hy հոսանք (the movement of a fluid) · fr flux (the rising movement of the tide) · et tõus (the rising movement of the tide) · ota سیلان (the movement of a fluid) · it flusso (rate of fluid movement) · et vool (rate of fluid movement) · ko 흐름 (the movement of a fluid) · su kucur (the movement of a fluid) · nl een zijn met (being at one with) · sh то̑к (the movement of a fluid) · mk тек (the movement of a fluid) · sk príliv (the rising movement of the tide) · pl przepływ (rate of fluid movement) · hi प्रवाह (the movement of a fluid) · it riflusso (the rising movement of the tide) · pl przepływ (the movement of a fluid) · be пато́к (the movement of a fluid) · bg прили́в (the rising movement of the tide) · sh tȏk (the movement of a fluid) · csb cec (the movement of a fluid) · sq rrjedhje (the movement of a fluid) · pt escoamento (the movement of a fluid) · sl tok (the movement of a fluid) · es flujo (the movement of a fluid) · pl przypływ (the rising movement of the tide) · gd lìonadh (the rising movement of the tide) · pdt Fluss (the movement of a fluid) · fi virtaus (rate of fluid movement) · pt fluxo da maré (the rising movement of the tide) · eo fluo (the movement of a fluid) · ru вовлечённость (being at one with) · ta ஒன்றாக (being at one with) · hu áradás (the rising movement of the tide) · sq rrjedhë (smoothness or continuity) · no flo (the rising movement of the tide) · ta ஓட்டம் (the movement of a fluid) · tr akış (the movement of a fluid) · id alir (the movement of a fluid) · ja 流れ (the movement of a fluid) · da flod (the rising movement of the tide) · uk течі́я (the movement of a fluid) · br beradur (the movement of a fluid) · cmn 流 (the movement of a fluid) · alt агыш (the movement of a fluid) · it scorrimento (the movement of a fluid) · cs tok (the movement of a fluid) · ta -ஓடு (being at one with) · mn урсгал (the movement of a fluid) · mk про́ток (rate of fluid movement) · grc ῥοία (the movement of a fluid) · krc агъым (the movement of a fluid) · fr écoulement (the movement of a fluid) · it fluidità (smoothness or continuity) · bg плавност (smoothness or continuity) · ga sreabh (the movement of a fluid) · hu ár (the rising movement of the tide) · grc ῥεῦμα (the movement of a fluid) · fi ykseys (being at one with) · nl debiet (rate of fluid movement) · be плынь (the movement of a fluid) · uk плин (the movement of a fluid) · mk тече́ние (the movement of a fluid) · de Tätigkeitsrausch (being at one with) · nl vloed (the rising movement of the tide) · uz oqim (the movement of a fluid) · uk струм (the movement of a fluid) · ru прили́в (the rising movement of the tide) · fr flux (the movement of a fluid) · cs příliv (the rising movement of the tide) · pt fluxo (the movement of a fluid) · hu dagály (the rising movement of the tide) · ast fluxu (the rising movement of the tide) · de Flut (the rising movement of the tide) · el παροχή (rate of fluid movement) · uk плив (the movement of a fluid) · ta தொடர் (smoothness or continuity) · ro curgere (the movement of a fluid) · ru тече́ние (the movement of a fluid) · te ప్రవాహము (the movement of a fluid) · cs proudění (the movement of a fluid) · gl fluxo (the movement of a fluid) · pt fluidez (smoothness or continuity) · fi vuoksi (the rising movement of the tide) · cv юх (the movement of a fluid) · mr वाहने (the movement of a fluid) · fi virtaama (rate of fluid movement) · bla áwa'kimsska (the movement of a fluid) · tr met (the rising movement of the tide) · sw mkondo (the movement of a fluid) · vi dòng chảy (the movement of a fluid) · hy հոսք (the movement of a fluid) · el πλημμυρίδα (the rising movement of the tide) · eu etorri (the movement of a fluid) · sw mkondo (the rising movement of the tide) · pt fluxo (rate of fluid movement) · it colata (the movement of a fluid) · hy մակընթացություն (the rising movement of the tide) · hu áramlás (the movement of a fluid) · ga sileadh (the movement of a fluid) · bg пото́к (the movement of a fluid)