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Synonyms

ebb

American  
[eb] / ɛb /

noun

  1. the flowing back of the tide as the water returns to the sea (flood,flow ).

  2. a flowing backward or away; decline or decay.

    the ebb of a once great nation.

  3. a point of decline.

    His fortunes were at a low ebb.

verb (used without object)

  1. to flow back or away, as the water of a tide (flow ).

    Synonyms:
    retire, recede, abate, subside

  2. to decline or decay; fade away.

    His life is gradually ebbing.
    Synonyms:
    decrease, diminish, dwindle
ebb British  
/ ɛb /

verb

  1. (of tide water) to flow back or recede Compare flow

  2. to fall away or decline

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. the flowing back of the tide from high to low water or the period in which this takes place

    2. ( as modifier ) Compare flood

      the ebb tide

  2. in a state or period of weakness, lack of vigour, or decline

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ebb Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing ebb

Other Word Forms

  • unebbed adjective
  • unebbing adjective

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

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.

“There is a lot of ebb and flow in the garden,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

The weak market environment and high levels of geopolitical uncertainty that dogged performance last year meanwhile show no signs of ebbing, Lanxess said.

From The Wall Street Journal

When I was at my lowest ebb, I would keep saying that to myself, trying my very hardest to believe it.

From Literature

Any ebbing of drone strikes could be deceptive, with Iran amassing them for another swarming assault.

From Los Angeles Times

Deflation is starting to ebb, he points out.

From MarketWatch

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.