Definition

Verb: * To move or drain off gradually and continuously in a stream or current. This verb describes the action of a liquid (or sometimes things compared to a liquid) moving away from a source or a point, often implying a steady, progressive departure.

Usage

• The verb "flow away" is used to describe the movement of liquids, such as water, or metaphorical things like time or money, as they depart from a place.
• It is often used with prepositions like "from" to indicate the point of origin.
• It emphasizes the continuous and gradual nature of the departure.

Examples

• After the storm, the floodwaters slowly flowed away from the village.
• We watched the river flow away into the distance.
• As the sink unclogged, the dirty water began to flow away down the drain.
• She felt her anxiety flow away as she listened to the calming music. (Metaphorical usage)

Advanced Usage

• "to flow away from": To emphasize the point of origin being left behind.
  • The capital is flowing away from the country due to economic instability.
• Used in geological or environmental contexts to describe natural drainage.
  • The glacier's meltwater flows away through a network of streams.

Variants and Related Words

• Flow off: A near-identical synonym, often used interchangeably with "flow away."
  • The excess paint flowed off the canvas.
• Drain away: Emphasizes the removal of liquid until little or none remains.
  • The bathtub took a long time to drain away completely.
• Recede: To move back or away, often used for floodwaters or hairlines.
• Ebb: To flow back or away, like the tide.

Synonyms

• Drain
• Trickle away
• Run off
• Discharge
• Empty

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Flow into: The opposite action; to move towards and enter something.
  • These small streams flow into the main river.
• Flow back: To return by flowing.
  • When the pump stopped, some of the liquid flowed back into the tank.

Verb

1. flow off or away gradually
   • The water flowed off from the pipe