ebb
Americannoun
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ebbs
plural
verb (used without object)
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ebbs,
present (3rd person singular)
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ebbed,
past participle, past
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ebbing
present participle
verb
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(of tide water) to flow back or recede Compare flow
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to fall away or decline
noun
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-
the flowing back of the tide from high to low water or the period in which this takes place
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( as modifier ) Compare flood
the ebb tide
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in a state or period of weakness, lack of vigour, or decline
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ebbsimple
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ebbssimple
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have ebbedperfect
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has ebbedperfect
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am ebbingprogressive
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are ebbingprogressive
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is ebbingprogressive
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have been ebbingperfect progressive
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has been ebbingperfect progressive
Past
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ebbedsimple
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had ebbedperfect
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was ebbingprogressive
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were ebbingprogressive
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had been ebbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ebb
before 1000; (noun) Middle English eb ( be ), Old English ebba; cognate with Old Frisian ebba, Dutch eb ( be ), German Ebbe ebb, Old Norse efja place where water backs up; (v.) Middle English ebben, Old English ebbian, derivative of the noun; akin to off
Explanation
When something ebbs, it is declining, falling, or flowing away. The best time to look for sea creatures in tidal pools is when the tide is on the ebb — meaning it has receded from the shore. Ebb is often used in the phrase, "ebb and flow," referring to the cyclical changing of the tides from low to high and back to low again. This sense of cyclical change can also be applied to other things. If you want to make money investing, you have to weather the ebb and flow of the stock market.
Vocabulary lists containing ebb
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A World Cup quarter-final though does return Kane to arguably the lowest ebb of his international career, when he missed a late penalty in a defeat by France at the Qatar finals.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
And so the idea that he experienced that kind of low ebb at that point in his career, I think, is interesting.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
The arrival of new and fast-growing private companies comes at a time when corporate governance in the U.S. is at a low ebb.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
But the kingdom watched its influence ebb as neighbors, especially the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, raced ahead in attracting international investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
Sam was standing by the pony, sucking his teeth, and staring moodily into the gloom where the river roared stonily below; his desire for adventure was at its lowest ebb.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Who will pay the price when the SpaceX hype ebbs?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
When bullish momentum ebbs, stocks can plunge quickly.
From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026
Yet gold holds its value, even as its price ebbs and flows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
The longer the ceasefire, the more likely that any spike in inflation ebbs away in the coming months.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
The pain ebbs slightly when Celia kneels next to him and takes his hand.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
Once that goal was achieved, political enthusiasm and public interest ebbed, as did funding for further exploration.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Since then, the relationship has ebbed and flowed.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
Admittedly, Hollywood’s infatuation with the festival has ebbed and flowed over the years, but 2026 seems like a rare outlier.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
Revenue ebbed 2.2% to $367 million but topped Wall Street models for $359.4 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
He was relieved when the second wave ebbed.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
“Without a bullish EIA print or continued warm weather, ebbing momentum could limit short-term upside,” Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
While he hung on for several more weeks, the PM's authority was ebbing away.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The most famous story-style intro — it literally begins with, “Here’s a story” — belongs to “The Brady Bunch,” which bridged the 1960s and ’70s, a decade that saw the ebbing of title-sequence stories.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026
Any ebbing of drone strikes could be deceptive, with Iran amassing them for another swarming assault.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
Morale there was ebbing rapidly, and Dunbar was under surveillance.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
