stream
( streams plural & 3rd person present) ( streaming present participle) ( streamed past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A stream is a small narrow river.
There was a small stream at the end of the garden., ...a mountain stream.
2 n-count A stream of smoke, air, or liquid is a narrow moving mass of it.
with supp, usu N of n
He breathed out a stream of cigarette smoke..., Add the oil in a slow, steady stream.
3 n-count A stream of vehicles or people is a long moving line of them.
with supp, usu N of n
There was a stream of traffic behind him.
4 n-count A streamof things is a large number of them occurring one after another.
with supp, usu N of n
We had a constant stream of visitors.
5 verb If a liquid streams somewhere, it flows or comes out in large amounts.
Tears streamed down their faces... V prep/adv
She came in, rain streaming from her clothes and hair. V prep/adv
6 verb If your eyes are streaming, liquid is coming from them, for example because you have a cold. You can also say that your nose is streaming.
usu cont
Her eyes were streaming now from the wind... V
A cold usually starts with a streaming nose and dry throat. V-ing
7 verb If people or vehicles stream somewhere, they move there quickly and in large numbers.
Refugees have been streaming into Travnik for months... V prep/adv
8 verb When light streams into or out of a place, it shines strongly into or out of it.
Sunlight was streaming into the courtyard. V prep/adv
9 If something such as a new factory or a new system comes on stream or is brought on stream, it begins to operate or becomes available.
♦
on stream phrase usu V PHRASE
As new mines come on stream, Chile's share of world copper output will increase sharply...
jet stream ( jet streams plural ) The jet stream is a very strong wind that blows high in the earth's atmosphere and has an important influence on the weather. n-count
stream of consciousness ( streams of consciousness plural ) , stream-of-consciousness If you describe what someone writes or says as a stream of consciousness, you mean that it expresses their thoughts as they occur, rather than in a structured way.
FORMAL n-var oft N n
The novel is an intensely lyrical stream-of-consciousness about an Indian woman who leaves her family home to be married...