outflow
What drains away
Outflow is the movement of something out from a source—water from a pipe, money from an account, people from a region.
The word often appears in technical or financial contexts: capital outflow, the outflow of refugees.
As a verb, to outflow is to flow out, though this use is less common than the noun.
Steady continuous flow
- riverLarge flowing watercourse
- currentDirected flow of charge
- channelPassage for transmission
- creekNarrow natural watercourse
tributary · runoff · estuary · delta · drainage · culvert · ditch · gutter
Wealth used for investment
- investmentDeploying capital for returns
- tradeExchange of commodities
- exportForeign-bound sale
- deficitAmount still owed
currency · exchange · liquidity · remittances · divestment · funds · transfer · balance
Discharged liquid waste
- sewageLiquid refuse in drains
- wastewaterContaminated drainage from buildings
- leakageUnintended fluid escape
- releaseTo let go
excretion · secretion · elimination · venting · drainage · seepage · purge · expulsion
Use up entirely
- fumesAirborne chemical irritants
- pollutantsHarmful environmental substances
- ventOpening for airflow
- carbonSixth element, atomic symbol C
methane · greenhouse · particulates · industrial · combustion · flue · chimney · smokestack
Large water storage basin
- pondSmall still body
- lagoonSheltered coastal shallows
- spilloverExcess that escapes
- water levelHeight of liquid surface
dam · weir · outlet · evaporation · seepage · basin · depth · stratification
stream
Steady continuous flow
creek · tributary · runoff · estuary · delta · drainage · culvert · ditch · gutter · sewer
capital
Wealth used for investment
- investmentDeploying capital for returns
- tradeExchange of commodities
- exportForeign-bound sale
deficit · currency · exchange · liquidity · remittances · divestment · funds · transfer · balance · flight
effluent
Discharged liquid waste
- sewageLiquid refuse in drains
- wastewaterContaminated drainage from buildings
- leakageUnintended fluid escape
release · excretion · secretion · elimination · venting · drainage · seepage · purge · expulsion · spill
exhaust
Use up entirely
- fumesAirborne chemical irritants
- pollutantsHarmful environmental substances
- ventOpening for airflow
carbon · methane · greenhouse · particulates · industrial · combustion · flue · chimney · smokestack · tailpipe
reservoir
Large water storage basin
water level · dam · weir · outlet · evaporation · seepage · basin · depth · stratification · loch
sediment
Particles settling in liquid
ecosystem · wetland · habitat · salinity · riparian · biota · contamination · leachate · erosion · siltation
- water managementwater supply, dam, water district, water authority, water allocation
- migrationmigration, immigrants, refugees, immigration, emigration
- fluid movementflowing, pouring, dripping, draining, oozing
- hot springssteam, thermal springs, hydrogen sulfide, bubbles, mineral deposits
- springscoil spring, compression spring, mainspring, clock spring, watch spring
- water flowstreamflow, current, stream, torrent, cascade
outflowaccumulation
Collected mass over time
buildup · accretion · amassing · stockpiling · retention