# stream

/ˈstɹim/ (US) · /stɹˈiːm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stream
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. small river

noun · CEFR A2

a small, narrow river.

For teachers: a small, natural watercourse, typically smaller than a river.

- The children spent the afternoon splashing in the shallow stream behind the house.
- The mountain stream was crystal clear, flowing rapidly over smooth stones and fallen branches after the spring thaw.

### 2. steady flow

noun · CEFR B1

a continuous flow of things or people.

For teachers: a steady, continuous succession or flow of material, objects, or people.

- A steady stream of visitors arrived at the museum all morning.
- The factory produced a constant stream of smoke that drifted across the valley, much to the concern of local environmentalists.

### 3. digital media

noun · CEFR B1

video or music that you watch or listen to directly from the internet.

For teachers: digital data, such as audio or video, transmitted over a network for immediate consumption without prior downloading.

- The live stream of the concert had over a million viewers.
- The quality of the video stream depends heavily on the stability of your local network connection and available bandwidth.

### 4. school ability group

noun · CEFR B2 · British English

a group of students of the same age and ability level.

For teachers: a division of students within a school year based on their perceived academic ability.

- He was placed in the top stream for mathematics because of his high test scores.
- The school's policy of placing students into different streams has been a subject of intense debate among parents and educators.

### 5. to flow

verb · CEFR B1

to move in a continuous and steady way.

For teachers: to flow or move in a continuous, steady manner; often used for liquids, light, or people.

- Sunlight streamed through the open window and lit up the room.
- Tears streamed down her face as she watched the final scene of the moving film.

### 6. to play media online

verb · CEFR B1

to watch or listen to something on the internet without downloading it.

For teachers: to transmit or receive data over the internet as a continuous, real-time flow.

- I prefer to stream movies rather than buying physical discs.
- The platform allows users to stream high-definition content directly to their mobile devices with minimal buffering.

## Examples

- I watched a live stream of the concert.
- The platform offers a high-quality video stream for subscribers who want to watch the game live.
- Engineers had to optimize the data compression algorithm to maintain a stable, high-definition stream even for users with slower internet connections.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.