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WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025stream /strim/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- a body of water flowing in a channel, as a brook.
- any flow or current of liquid, fluid, or gas:a stream of gas escaping.
- a series of things:a stream of words.
v.
- to flow or pass in a stream:[no object]The river streamed past the house.
- to give out (a fluid): [no object]Her eyes streamed with tears.[~ + object]The wound streamed blood.
- to extend in rays:[no object]Sunlight streamed in through the window
- to proceed without stopping:[no object]All day long the traffic streamed past her house.
- to hang in a flowing manner:[no object]Her golden hair was streaming behind her.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025stream
(strēm),USA pronunciation n.
- a body of water flowing in a channel or watercourse, as a river, rivulet, or brook.
- a steady current in water, as in a river or the ocean:to row against the stream; the Gulf Stream.
- any flow of water or other liquid or fluid:streams of blood.
- a current or flow of air, gas, or the like.
- a beam or trail of light:A stream of moonlight fell from the clouds.
- a continuous flow or succession of anything:a stream of words.
- prevailing direction;
drift:the stream of opinion.
- on stream, in or into operation:The factory will be on stream in a month.
v.i.
- to flow, pass, or issue in a stream, as water, tears, or blood.
- to send forth or throw off a stream;
run or flow (often fol. by with):eyes streaming with tears.
- to extend in a beam or in rays, as light:Sunlight streamed in through the windows.
- to move or proceed continuously like a flowing stream, as a procession.
- to wave or float outward, as a flag in the wind.
- to hang in a loose, flowing manner, as long hair.
v.t.
- to send forth or discharge in a stream:The wound streamed blood.
- to cause to stream or float outward, as a flag.
- Naval Terms[Naut.]to place (an object) in the water at the end of a line attached to a vessel.
- bef. 900; (noun, nominal) Middle English streem, Old English strēam; cognate with German Strom, Old Norse straumr; akin to Greek rheîn to flow (see rheum); (verb, verbal) Middle English streamen, derivative of the noun, nominal
stream′less, adj.
stream′like′, adj.
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged rill, run, streamlet, runnel. Stream, current refer to a steady flow. In this use they are interchangeable. In the sense of running water, however, a stream is a flow that may be as small as a brook or as large as a river:A number of streams have their sources in mountains.Current refers to the most rapidly moving part of the stream:This river has a swift current.
- 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged flow, tide.
- 6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged torrent, rush.
- 9.See corresponding entry in Unabridged pour.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stream / striːm/ - a small river; brook
- any steady flow of water or other fluid
- something that resembles a stream in moving continuously in a line or particular direction
- a rapid or unbroken flow of speech, etc: a stream of abuse
- any of several parallel classes of schoolchildren, or divisions of children within a class, grouped together because of similar ability
- go with the stream, drift with the stream ⇒ to conform to the accepted standards
- off stream ⇒ (of an industrial plant, manufacturing process, etc) shut down or not in production
- on stream ⇒ (of an industrial plant, manufacturing process, etc) in or about to go into operation or production
- available or in existence
- to emit or be emitted in a continuous flow: his nose streamed blood
- (intransitive) to move in unbroken succession, as a crowd of people, vehicles, etc
- (intransitive) to float freely or with a waving motion: bunting streamed in the wind
- (transitive) to unfurl (a flag, etc)
- to group or divide (children) in streams
Etymology: Old English; related to Old Frisian strām, Old Norse straumr, Old High German stroum, Greek rheumaˈstreamlet
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025swim /swɪm/USA pronunciation
v., swam, swum, swim•ming, n. v.
- Animal Behavior, Sport[no object] to move in water by using the limbs, fins, tail, etc.
- Sport[~ + object] to move along in or cross (a body of water) this way.
- to be filled or flooded with a liquid:[~ + with + object]eyes swimming with tears.
- to be dizzy or giddy;
seem to whirl:[no object]My head began to swim.
n. [countable]
- Sportan act, instance, or period of swimming.
Idioms
- Idioms in the swim, alert to current affairs, social activities, etc.
swim•mer, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025swim (swim),USA pronunciation
v., swam, swum, swim•ming, n.
v.i.
- Animal Behaviorto move in water by movements of the limbs, fins, tail, etc.
- to float on the surface of water or some other liquid.
- to move, rest, or be suspended in air as if swimming in water.
- Animal Behaviorto move, glide, or go smoothly over a surface.
- to be immersed or steeped in or overflowing or flooded with a liquid:eyes swimming with tears.
- to be dizzy or giddy;
seem to whirl:My head began to swim.
v.t.
- to move along in or cross (a body of water) by swimming:to swim a lake.
- to perform (a particular stroke) in swimming:to swim a sidestroke.
- to cause to swim or float, as on a stream.
- to furnish with sufficient water to swim or float.
n.
- an act, instance, or period of swimming.
- a motion as of swimming;
a smooth, gliding movement.
- in the swim, alert to or actively engaged in events;
in the thick of things:Despite her age, she is still in the swim.
- bef. 900; Middle English swimmen, Old English swimman; cognate with Dutch zwemmen, German schwimmen, Old Norse svimma
swim′ma•ble, adj.
swim′mer, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
swim / swɪm/ (swims, swimming, swam, swum)- (intransitive) to move along in water, etc, by means of movements of the body or parts of the body, esp the arms and legs, or (in the case of fish) tail and fins
- (transitive) to cover (a distance or stretch of water) in this way
- (transitive) to compete in (a race) in this way
- (intransitive) to be supported by and on a liquid; float
- (transitive) to use (a particular stroke) in swimming
- (intransitive) to move smoothly, usually through air or over a surface
- (intransitive) to reel or seem to reel: my head swam, the room swam around me
- (intr; often followed by in or with) to be covered or flooded with water or other liquid
- (intransitive) often followed by in: to be liberally supplied (with): he's swimming in money
- (transitive) to cause to float or swim
- swim against the tide, stream ⇒ to resist prevailing opinion
- swim with the tide, stream ⇒ to conform to prevailing opinion
- the act, an instance, or period of swimming
- any graceful gliding motion
- a condition of dizziness; swoon
- a pool in a river good for fishing
- in the swim ⇒ fashionable or active in social or political activities
Etymology: Old English swimman; related to Old Norse svima, German schwimmen, Gothic swumsl pond, Norwegian svamla to paddleˈswimmableˈswimmerˈswimming,
'stream' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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