1. the act of flowing or streamingcontinuous progression
Synonym: flow
2. a steady flow of a fluid (usually from natural causes)
e.g. the raft floated downstream on the currenthe felt a stream of airthe hose ejected a stream of water
Synonym: current
3. dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas
e.g. two streams of development run through American historystream of consciousnessthe flow of thoughtthe current of history
Synonym: flowcurrent
4. a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
Synonym: watercourse
5. something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously
e.g. a stream of people emptied from the terminalthe museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors
Synonym: flow