1To make a liquid flow; to pour or drain water, or to shed tears.
トイレの水を流すのを忘れないで。
Don't forget to flush the toilet.
彼女はその映画を見て涙を流した。
She shed tears watching that movie.
傷口から血を流しながら病院へ向かった。
He headed to the hospital, bleeding from the wound.
台所で水を流しっぱなしにしないでください。
Please don't leave the water running in the kitchen.
2To let logs or timber float down a river; to set something like a boat adrift on the current.
昔はこの川で木材を流して運んでいた。
In the old days, timber was floated down this river to transport it.
小舟を川に流して遊んだ。
We set a small boat adrift on the river to play.
3For water's force to sweep something away, as in a flood or tsunami.
大雨が橋を流してしまった。
The heavy rain washed away the bridge.
津波が家々を流した。
The tsunami swept away houses.
洪水で畑の土が流されてしまった。
The flood washed away the soil in the fields.
4To broadcast music or information over the airwaves; also to send electricity through a wire.
店内にBGMを流している。
Background music is being played in the store.
そのニュースは全国に流された。
That news was broadcast nationwide.
配線に電気を流して動作を確認した。
We ran electricity through the wiring to check it worked.
5To spread a rumor or piece of information.
誰かがおかしいうわさを流したらしい。
It seems someone spread a strange rumor.
会社は新製品の情報を事前に流した。
The company leaked information about the new product beforehand.
デマを流すのはやめてほしい。
I wish people would stop spreading false rumors.
6For a taxi to cruise around looking for passengers; or to stroll around drumming up customers or an audience.
深夜、タクシーが街を流している。
Late at night, taxis cruise around the city looking for fares.
その歌手は昔、繁華街を流して歌っていた。
That singer used to stroll through downtown areas performing for customers.
7To cancel something that was planned; also used for rejecting a bill or note.
雨で花見の計画を流すことにした。
We decided to call off the cherry blossom viewing plan due to rain.
資金不足で手形を流された。
Due to insufficient funds, the bill was rejected.
8To forfeit a pawned item by failing to redeem it before the deadline.
金がなくて、質に入れた時計を流してしまった。
I didn't have the money, so I ended up forfeiting the watch I'd pawned.
9To do something with ease, without exerting much effort, as in 流して泳ぐ (to swim leisurely).
疲れていたので、軽く流して走った。
I was tired, so I ran at an easy pace.
今日の練習は流す程度でいい。
Today's practice can just be a light run-through.
10To exile or banish a criminal to a distant place.
その武将は反乱の罪で島に流された。
That warlord was exiled to an island for the crime of rebellion.
11In baseball, for a batter to hit the ball toward the opposite field from their batting side.
彼は逆方向に打球を流すのがうまい。
He's good at hitting the ball to the opposite field.
12Attached to the -masu stem of a verb (as 〜し流す) to mean doing something inattentively or without much thought, as in 聞き流す (to let something go in one ear and out the other) or 読み流す (to skim through).
彼の文句はいつも聞き流している。
I always just let his complaints go in one ear and out the other.
難しい部分は読み流して先に進んだ。
I skimmed over the difficult part and moved on.
13To artificially terminate a pregnancy; to have an abortion.
彼女はやむを得ない事情で子供を流すことになった。
Due to unavoidable circumstances, she ended up having an abortion.