What does "pour" mean?
The act of pouring.
Pour
/pɔː/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of pouring.
- Grammar: pour is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abound, accord, administer, afford.
- Useful contrasts: gentle spray, contain, cups.
- Usage evidence: Pour melted butter over the popcorn.
How to use "pour"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pour" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pour" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pour" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pour" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pour" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abound" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pour", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of pouring.
"The bartender's inexpert pour left me with a pint of beer that was half foam."
- 2 Something, or an amount, poured.
"Over this time period, the first concrete pour has not only lost workability but has started to set so that it is no longer affected by the action of a vibrator."
- 3 A downpour; a flood of precipitation. colloquial
"Then, as if to give the lie to the offensive insinuation, he mounted his horse, and rode home ten miles in a pour of rain, without a great coat or umbrella."
Verb
- 1 To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it. transitive
"pour water from a jug"
- 2 Misspelling of pore. alt-of, misspelling
- 3 move in large numbers wordnet
- 4 To send out as in a stream or a flood; to cause (an emotion) to come out; to cause to escape. figuratively, transitive
"My teacher poured scorn on my attempts at writing."
- 5 flow in a spurt wordnet
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 To send forth from, as in a stream; to discharge uninterruptedly. transitive
"Is it for thee the linnet pours his throat?"
- 7 cause to run wordnet
- 8 To flow, pass, or issue in a stream; to fall continuously and abundantly. intransitive
"the rain poured down."
- 9 pour out gradually, so as to separate out sediment wordnet
- 10 To rain hard. impersonal
"It's pouring outside."
- 11 supply in large amounts or quantities wordnet
- 12 Of a beverage, to be on tap or otherwise available for serving to customers. intransitive
- 13 rain heavily wordnet
- 14 To move in a throng, as a crowd. intransitive
"The people poured out of the theater."
- 15 To move (a drunk or unsteady person) into or out of a place or vehicle. transitive
"She poured him into a taxi and handed the driver the fare."
Example
"Pour melted butter over the popcorn."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pour"?
Common synonyms include: abound, accord, administer, afford, allot, allow.
How do you use "pour" in a sentence?
Pour melted butter over the popcorn.
How do you pronounce "pour"?
Pronounced /pɔː/.
Etymology
From Middle English pouren (“to pour”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Old Northern French purer (“to sift (grain), pour out (water)”), from Latin pūrō (“to purify”), from pūrus (“pure”). Compare Middle Dutch afpuren (“to pour off, drain”). To pour displaced several Middle English verbs: * schenchen, schenken (“to pour”), from Old English sċenċan (“to pour out”) and Old Norse skenkja, from Proto-Germanic *skankijaną. Compare dialectal English shink, skink. * yeten, from Old English ġēotan (“to pour”), from Proto-Germanic *geutaną. * birlen (“to pour, serve drink to”), from Old English byrelian (“to pour, serve drink to”). * hellen (“to pour, pour out”), from Old Norse hella (“to pour out, incline”). * temen (“to pour out, empty”), from Old Norse tœma (“to pour out, empty”). Compare archaic English teem.