2 ADJ [ADJ n] Flowering shrubs, trees, or plants are those which produce noticeable flowers.
flower|pot /flaʊə r pɒt/ (flowerpots ) also flower pot N‑COUNT A flowerpot is a container that is used for growing plants.
flo w|er pow|er N‑UNCOUNT Flower power is an old-fashioned way of referring to hippies and the culture associated with hippies in the late 1960s and early 1970s. □ …the era of flower power.
flow|ery /flaʊ əri/
1 ADJ A flowery smell is strong and sweet, like flowers. □ Amy thought she caught the faintest drift of Isabel's flowery perfume.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Flowery cloth, paper, or china has a lot of flowers printed or painted on it. □ The baby, dressed in a flowery jumpsuit, waved her rattle.
3 ADJ Flowery speech or writing contains long or literary words and expressions. □ They were using uncommonly flowery language.
flown /floʊ n/ Flown is the past participle of fly .
fl. oz. fl. oz. is a written abbreviation for fluid ounce .
flu /fluː / N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] Flu is an illness which is similar to a bad cold but more serious. It often makes you feel very weak and makes your muscles hurt. □ I got flu. □ He had come down with the flu.
fluc|tu|ate /flʌ ktʃue I t/ (fluctuates , fluctuating , fluctuated ) VERB If something fluctuates , it changes a lot in an irregular way. □ [V ] Body temperature can fluctuate if you are ill. □ [V -ing] …the fluctuating price of oil. ● fluc|tua|tion /flʌ ktʃue I ʃ ə n/ (fluctuations ) N‑VAR □ [+ in ] Don't worry about tiny fluctuations in your weight. □ [+ in/of ] The calculations do not take into account any fluctuation in the share price.
flue /fluː / (flues ) N‑COUNT A flue is a pipe or long tube that acts as a chimney, taking smoke away from a device such as a heater, fire, or cooker.
flu|ent /fluː ənt/
1 ADJ Someone who is fluent in a particular language can speak the language easily and correctly. You can also say that someone speaks fluent French, Chinese, or some other language. □ [+ in ] She studied eight foreign languages but is fluent in only six of them. □ He speaks fluent Russian. ● flu|en|cy N‑UNCOUNT □ To work as a translator, you need fluency in at least one foreign language. ● flu|ent|ly ADV □ He spoke three languages fluently.
2 ADJ If your speech, reading, or writing is fluent , you speak, read, or write easily, smoothly, and clearly with no mistakes. □ He had emerged from being a hesitant and unsure candidate into a fluent debater. ● flu|en|cy N‑UNCOUNT □ His son was praised for speeches of remarkable fluency. ● flu|ent|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ Alex didn't read fluently till he was nearly seven.
fluff /flʌ f/ N‑UNCOUNT [oft n of N ] Fluff consists of soft threads or fibres in the form of small, light balls or lumps. For example, you can refer to the fur of a small animal as fluff . □ She noticed some bits of fluff on the sleeve of her sweater.
fluffy /flʌ fi/ (fluffier , fluffiest )
1 ADJ If you describe something such as a towel or a toy animal as fluffy , you mean that it is very soft. □ …fluffy white towels. □ It's a very fluffy kind of wool.
2 ADJ A cake or other food that is fluffy is very light because it has a lot of air in it. □ Cream together the margarine and sugar with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.
flu|id /fluː I d/ (fluids )
1 N‑VAR A fluid is a liquid. [FORMAL ] □ The blood vessels may leak fluid, which distorts vision. □ Make sure that you drink plenty of fluids. □ …fluid retention.
2 ADJ Fluid movements or lines or designs are smooth and graceful. □ The forehand stroke should be fluid and well balanced.
3 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] A situation that is fluid is unstable and is likely to change often.
flu |id ou nce (fluid ounces ) N‑COUNT [num N ] A fluid ounce is a measurement of liquid. There are twenty fluid ounces in a British pint, and sixteen in an American pint.
fluke /fluː k/ (flukes ) N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft by N ] If you say that something good is a fluke , you mean that it happened accidentally rather than by being planned or arranged. [INFORMAL ] □ The discovery was something of a fluke. □ By sheer fluke, one of the shipowner's employees was in the city. [Also + of ]
flum|mox /flʌ məks/ (flummoxes , flummoxing , flummoxed ) VERB [usu passive] If someone is flummoxed by something, they are confused by it and do not know what to do or say. □ [be V -ed] The two leaders were flummoxed by the suggestion. ● flum|moxed ADJ □ No wonder Josef was feeling a bit flummoxed.
flung /flʌ ŋ/ Flung is the past tense and past participle of fling .
flunk /flʌ ŋk/ (flunks , flunking , flunked ) VERB If you flunk an exam or a course, you fail to reach the required standard. [mainly AM , INFORMAL ] □ [V n] Your son is upset because he flunked a history exam.
flunk|ey /flʌ ŋki/ (flunkeys ) also flunky
1 N‑COUNT Someone who refers to a servant as a flunkey is expressing their dislike for a job that involves doing things for an employer that ordinary people do for themselves. [DISAPPROVAL ]