Control flow refers to the order in which individual statements, instructions, or function calls are executed in a program. It determines how a program responds to different conditions and inputs, allowing for decision-making and repetition of tasks. Common control flow structures include if statements, for loops, and while loops. These structures enable programmers to create dynamic and flexible code. For example, an if statement can execute a block of code only when a specific condition is true, while loops can repeat actions until a condition is met. This helps in managing the logic and behavior of software applications effectively.