dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas; "two streams of development run through American history"; "stream of consciousness"; "the flow of thought"; "the current of history"
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
something that resembles a flowing stream in moving continuously; "a stream of people emptied from the terminal"; "the museum had planned carefully for the flow of visitors"
exude profusely; "She was streaming with sweat"; "His nose streamed blood"
flow freely and abundantly; "Tears streamed down her face"
to extend, wave or float outward, as if in the wind; "their manes streamed like stiff black pennants in the wind"
a hand tool with a flat face used for smoothing and finishing the surface of plaster or cement or stucco
an elaborate display mounted on a platform carried by a truck (or pulled by a truck) in a procession or parade
the number of shares outstanding and available for trading by the public
the time interval between the deposit of a check in a bank and its payment
convert from a fixed point notation to a floating point notation; "float data"
allow (currencies) to fluctuate; "The government floated the ruble for a few months"
make the surface of level or smooth; "float the plaster"
put into the water; "float a ship"
move lightly, as if suspended; "The dancer floated across the stage"
set afloat; "He floated the logs down the river"; "The boy floated his toy boat on the pond"
be in motion due to some air or water current; "The leaves were blowing in the wind"; "the boat drifted on the lake"; "The sailboat was adrift on the open sea"; "the shipwrecked boat drifted away from the shore"
be afloat; stay on a liquid surface; not sink
circulate or discuss tentatively; test the waters with; "The Republicans are floating the idea of a tax reform"
an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading; "he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity"; "he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction"; "the situation soon took on a different color"
a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine; "they dug a drift parallel with the vein"
the pervading meaning or tenor; "caught the general drift of the conversation"
a general tendency to change (as of opinion); "not openly liberal but that is the trend of the book"; "a broad movement of the electorate to the right"
something that is heaped up by the wind or by water currents
a force that moves something along
the gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane)
a process of linguistic change over a period of time
be piled up in banks or heaps by the force of wind or a current; "snow drifting several feet high"; "sand drifting like snow"
be subject to fluctuation; "The stock market drifted upward"
drive slowly and far afield for grazing; "drift the cattle herds westwards"
cause to be carried by a current; "drift the boats downstream"
move in an unhurried fashion; "The unknown young man drifted among the invited guests"
vary or move from a fixed point or course; "stock prices are drifting higher"
the act of changing location from one place to another; "police controlled the motion of the crowd"; "the movement of people from the farms to the cities"; "his move put him directly in my path"
a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility"
a formal proposal for action made to a deliberative assembly for discussion and vote; "he made a motion to adjourn"; "she called for the question"
a state of change; "they were in a state of steady motion"
a long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening; "he used a piece of tape for a belt"; "he wrapped a tape around the package"
a recording made on magnetic tape; "the several recordings were combined on a master tape"
measuring instrument consisting of a narrow strip (cloth or metal) marked in inches or centimeters and used for measuring lengths; "the carpenter should have used his tape measure"
the finishing line for a foot race; "he broke the tape in record time"
fasten or attach with tape; "tape the shipping label to the box"
the occupation of a house painter; "house painting was the only craft he knew"
the act of applying paint to a surface; "you can finish the job of painting faster with a roller than with a brush"
creating a picture with paints; "he studied painting and sculpture for many years"
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface; "a small painting by Picasso"; "he bought the painting as an investment"; "his pictures hang in the Louvre"
transfer; "The spy sent the classified information off to Russia"
to cause or order to be taken, directed, or transmitted to another place; "He had sent the dispatches downtown to the proper people and had slept"
cause to go somewhere; "The explosion sent the car flying in the air"; "She sent her children to camp"; "He directed all his energies into his dissertation"