What does "stream" mean?
A small river; a large creek; a body of moving water confined by banks.
Stream
/stɹiːm/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small river; a large creek; a body of moving water confined by banks.
- Grammar: stream is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: flow, aare, abound, abundance.
- Useful contrasts: arid ground, buffers, desert.
- Usage evidence: As he crossed the bridge, he looked down at the stream.
How to use "stream"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stream" 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 "stream" 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 "stream" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stream" 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 "stream" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "flow" 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 "stream", 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 A small river; a large creek; a body of moving water confined by banks.
"Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet:[…]."
- 2 the act of flowing or streaming; continuous progression wordnet
- 3 All moving waters.
- 4 a steady flow of a fluid (usually from natural causes) wordnet
- 5 A thin connected passing of a liquid through a lighter gas (e.g. air).
"He poured the milk in a thin stream from the jug to the glass."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas wordnet
- 7 Current, the force of moving water.
"to swim against the stream"
- 8 a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth wordnet
- 9 Any steady flow or succession of material, such as water, air, radio signal or words.
"Her constant nagging was to him a stream of abuse."
- 10 something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously wordnet
- 11 A particular path, channel, division, or way of proceeding. figuratively
"Haredi Judaism is a stream of Orthodox Judaism characterized by rejection of modern secular culture."
- 12 A source or repository of data that can be read or written only sequentially.
"In the context of computer science, lexical analysis can be defined as the conversion of a stream of characters to a stream of meaningful tokens."
- 13 Digital data (e.g. music or video) delivered in a continuous manner to a client computer, intended for immediate consumption or playback.; An instance of streaming digital data.
"If your favorite Succession storylines involve the fictional ATN and network drama, give Apple TV’s The Morning Show a stream."
- 14 Digital data (e.g. music or video) delivered in a continuous manner to a client computer, intended for immediate consumption or playback.; A live stream.
- 15 A division of a school year by perceived ability. UK
"All of the bright kids went into the A stream, but I was in the B stream."
- 16 A train of thought or flow in a conversation or discussion.
"Not to switch streams, but we really need to focus on talking about the economy right now..."
Verb
- 1 To flow in a continuous or steady manner, like a liquid. intransitive
"beneath those banks where rivers now stream"
- 2 exude profusely wordnet
- 3 To extend; to stretch out with a wavy motion; to float in the wind. intransitive
"A flag streams in the wind."
- 4 move in large numbers wordnet
- 5 To discharge in a stream. transitive
"The soldier's wound was streaming blood."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 flow freely and abundantly wordnet
- 7 To push continuous data (e.g. music) from a server to a client computer while it is being used (played) on the client. Internet
- 8 to extend, wave or float outward, as if in the wind wordnet
- 9 To livestream. Internet
"I did factor in the whole, like, "oh, I wonder if doing streaming, and the money that's kind of attached to it, is the reason I wanted to do this?", like, is it warping my brain? I did think about that. I've streamed for years and it's been my entire life and I've made a lot of money off it, and I wondered if that's what's affecting me and making me want to do this. And it's not."
- 10 rain heavily wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"As he crossed the bridge, he looked down at the stream."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stream"?
Common synonyms include: flow, aare, abound, abundance, actinic ray, actinism.
How do you use "stream" in a sentence?
As he crossed the bridge, he looked down at the stream.
How do you pronounce "stream"?
Pronounced /stɹiːm/.
Etymology
From Middle English streem, strem, from Old English strēam, from Proto-West Germanic *straum, from Proto-Germanic *straumaz (“stream”), from Proto-Indo-European *srowmos (“river”), from Proto-Indo-European *srew- (“to flow”). Doublet of rheum. Cognate with Scots strem, streme, streym (“stream, river”), North Frisian Stroom, struum (“stream”), West Frisian stream (“stream”), Low German Stroom (“stream”), Dutch stroom (“current, flow, stream”), German Strom (“current, stream”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål strøm (“current, stream, flow”), Norwegian Nynorsk straum (“current, stream, flow”), Swedish ström (“current, stream, flow”), Faroese streymur (“stream”), Icelandic straumur (“current, stream, torrent, flood”), Ancient Greek ῥεῦμα (rheûma, “stream, flow”), Lithuanian srovė (“current, stream”) Polish strumień (“stream”), Welsh ffrwd (“stream, current”), Scottish Gaelic sruth (“stream”).