What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

What is the difference between overflow and flow?

overflow | flow |

As nouns the difference between overflow and flow

is that overflow is the spillage resultant from overflow; excess while flow is the movement of a fluid.

As verbs the difference between overflow and flow

is that overflow is to fill beyond the limits of a container or system while flow is to move as a fluid from one position to another.

overflow

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • The spillage resultant from overflow; excess.
  • Outlet for escape of excess material.
  • (computing) The situation where a value exceeds the available numeric range.
  • Derived terms

    * overflow hole

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To flow over the brim of (a container).
  • The river overflowed the levee.
  • To cover with a liquid, literally or figuratively.
  • The flash flood overflowed most of the parkland and some homes.
  • * 1851 , Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
  • So when they were working that evening at the pumps, there was on this head no small gamesomeness slily going on among them, as they stood with their feet continually overflowed by the rippling clear water
  • To cause an overflow. (rfex)
  • To flow over the edge of a container.
  • The waters overflowed into the Ninth Ward.
  • To exceed limits or capacity.
  • The hospital ER was overflowing with flu cases.
  • # (computing, ambitransitive) To exceed the available numeric range.
  • Calculating 255+1 will overflow an eight-bit byte.
  • To be superabundant; to abound.
  • (Rogers)

    Derived terms

    * buffer overflow * underflow English heteronyms ----

    flow

    English

    Noun

  • A movement in people or things with a particular way in large numbers or amounts
  • The movement of a real or figurative fluid.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4 , passage=Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda.}}
  • The rising movement of the tide.
  • Smoothness or continuity.
  • The amount of a fluid that moves or the rate of fluid movement.
  • (psychology) The state of being at one with.
  • Menstruation fluid
  • Antonyms

    * (movement of the tide) ebb

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To move as a fluid from one position to another.
  • Rivers flow from springs and lakes.
    Tears flow from the eyes.
  • To proceed; to issue forth.
  • Wealth flows from industry and economy.
  • * Milton
  • Those thousand decencies that daily flow / From all her words and actions.
  • To move or match smoothly, gracefully, or continuously.
  • The writing is grammatically correct, but it just doesn't flow .
  • * Dryden
  • Virgil is sweet and flowing in his hexameters.
  • To have or be in abundance; to abound, so as to run or flow over.
  • * Bible, Joel iii. 18
  • In that day the hills shall flow with milk.
  • * Prof. Wilson
  • the exhilaration of a night that needed not the influence of the flowing bowl
  • To hang loosely and wave.
  • a flowing''' mantle; '''flowing locks
  • * A. Hamilton
  • the imperial purple flowing in his train
  • To rise, as the tide; opposed to ebb .
  • The tide flows twice in twenty-four hours.
  • * Shakespeare
  • The river hath thrice flowed , no ebb between.
  • (computing) To arrange (text in a wordprocessor, etc.) so that it wraps neatly into a designated space; to reflow.
  • To cover with water or other liquid; to overflow; to inundate; to flood.
  • To cover with varnish.
  • To discharge excessive blood from the uterus.
  • Anagrams

    * *