Outflow

noun, verb

noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The process of flowing out. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    the discharge of a fluid from some container wordnet
  3. 3
    A fluid that flows out. countable, uncountable

    "Borg’s home, which he built with his wife and two sons among tall conifers 33 years ago, overlooks the Nipigon River, an outflow from the lake of the same name."

  4. 4
    a natural flow of ground water wordnet
  5. 5
    Any outward movement. countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    the process of flowing out wordnet
  2. 7
    A stream of gaseous material emanating from an active galactic nucleus. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    The part of a system that allows material to flow out. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    Something that flows out of a sewage treatment plant. countable, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To flow outward. intransitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
effluenceeffluenceeffluxaffluenceaffluxaffluxion

Antonyms

All antonyms
inflow

Example

More examples

"The chemical outflow from the factory threatened to vitiate the purity of the river's water."

Etymology

From Middle English outflowen, from late Old English ūtflōwan (attested in the past tense as ūt flēow), equivalent to out- + flow. The noun is derived from the verb.

Related phrases

Mediterranean outflowbipolar outflowcircumstellar outflowgalactic outflowgalactic-scale outflowmass outflowmolecular outflowoutflow boundary

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.