Meaning & use
flow through
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Meanings
verbintransitive
if money, goods, or information flow through, they pass from one place or person to another, often reaching others in the end
Grammar: No object; commonly followed by 'to' before the person or place that receives it.
Patterns
- flow through to someone
- flow through something
- flow through from something
Most of the extra profit flowed through to shareholders as higher dividends.
Information flows through the system quickly once it is entered.
The grant money flowed through the local council to the schools.
nouncountablebusinessfinance
a business or tax arrangement in which money passes through one company or country to another, often to reduce tax
Grammar: Used mainly in business and tax writing; often written with a hyphen: 'flow-through'.
Patterns
- a flow-through entity
- a flow-through structure
The company set up a flow-through in a low-tax country.
Investors were warned about the risks of flow-through arrangements.
Common combinations
- flow through to
- The savings will flow through to customers in lower prices.
- flow through the system
- Cash takes several days to flow through the system.
- flow-through entity
- A flow-through entity does not pay tax itself.
- flow-through of funds
- The flow-through of funds to local projects was delayed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pass through
- Very similar, but 'pass through' is more general and can be used for people and vehicles as well as money.
- filter through
- Suggests a slow, gradual movement, often of news or information, rather than a steady financial flow.
Commonly confused: flow through or flow?
flow through vs flow
'Flow' simply means to move steadily; 'flow through' adds the idea of passing from one point to another and usually reaching someone or something.
Practice
The tax cut is expected to ______ to ordinary workers in the form of higher wages.
Choose one answer.
'Flow through to' means pass along until it reaches someone. 'Flow out' means leave a place, 'flow over' means move over the top of something, and 'flow up' means move upward, so none of them fits the idea of reaching workers.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flow through”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.