What does pour mean?
Pour is a familiar verb with several related uses. Most commonly, it means to cause a liquid to flow from one container into another, as when someone pours coffee into a mug. It can also describe a substance falling or moving in a steady stream, especially in the expression pour rain. In restaurants and social situations, pour often means to serve a drink, while figurative uses describe people giving out words, ideas, emotion, light, or energy. The related noun refers to an act of pouring, such as a pour of hot coffee or a heavy downpour. Although especially associated with liquids, pour can apply to other freely flowing materials, such as sand, smoke, or molten metal. It is equally natural in British and American English and carries no strongly regional or formal restriction.
To cause a liquid or other substance to flow from a container or surface; to serve a drink; or to move or fall in a continuous stream.
"He poured the milk into his cereal."
An act of pouring, or the stream or quantity produced by pouring.
"She ordered a pour of whiskey at the bar."
Usually used for separate acts or instances of pouring, especially in contexts such as drink service, construction, or industry.
"The engineer checked the concrete pours throughout the day."
From pouring a drink at the table to describing torrential rain, this versatile verb turns liquids into motion.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of pour
The modern English verb descends from Middle English, which borrowed it from Old French. Old French pour was used for the action of pouring and pouring out. The word's deeper medieval etymology is not entirely certain, so its later development is best understood through its established use in French and Middle English.
Related word forms
How pour is actually used
Pour is common in both formal and informal English. The phrase pour rain is idiomatic but usually implies rain falling heavily and continuously; the verb can also be used metaphorically for speech, light, emotion, or information.
Easily confused with pour
Pour is a verb meaning to make a liquid flow, while a pore is a small opening in a surface or material.
Pour describes the action of flowing or serving a liquid, while poor describes someone or something lacking resources or quality.