ebb
Americannoun
-
ebbs
plural
verb (used without object)
-
ebbs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ebbed,
past participle, past
-
ebbing
present participle
verb
-
(of tide water) to flow back or recede Compare flow
-
to fall away or decline
noun
-
-
the flowing back of the tide from high to low water or the period in which this takes place
-
( as modifier ) Compare flood
the ebb tide
-
-
in a state or period of weakness, lack of vigour, or decline
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ebbsimple
-
ebbssimple
-
have ebbedperfect
-
has ebbedperfect
-
am ebbingprogressive
-
are ebbingprogressive
-
is ebbingprogressive
-
have been ebbingperfect progressive
-
has been ebbingperfect progressive
Past
-
ebbedsimple
-
had ebbedperfect
-
was ebbingprogressive
-
were ebbingprogressive
-
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
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The fish come up on the sand for about two hours at night, as the high tide starts to ebb, usually between 10pm and 2am.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 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 decision was predicted by all eight economists polled by The Wall Street Journal as the immediate risks from the Iran crisis ebb.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 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
He dashed his opponents against their limitations the instant they left the starting gate, leaving them to ebb out like spilling water behind him.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Whereas Coltrane brought grace and a gentle texture, Rollins arguably delivered a firmer sense of music's ebbs and flows, crafting jazz in the manner of a classical composer.
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
Of course, the popularity or otherwise of all parties ebbs and flows over time, and as recently as the 2017 general election Labour and the Conservatives managed 82.4% of the vote between them.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
Despite last month’s tech-sector drop and the ebbs this week, stocks remain within striking distance of all-time highs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
Since national defense cannot tolerate downtime, readiness spending tends to persist even when procurement ebbs.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 28, 2026
The drumming ebbs and flows, comes to a crescendo before stopping completely; then I am stagnant water again.
From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi
Revenue ebbed 1.7% to $560.9 million, coming in ahead of Wall Street models for $557.1 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The data shed light on how immigration detention has ebbed and flowed so far in 2026.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
His standing ebbed further when a long-simmering row behind the scenes over defence spending prompted Labour stalwart John Healey to resign as defence secretary earlier this month.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Since then, the relationship has ebbed and flowed.
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
The shock ebbed from Crane-man’s eyes now that Tree- ear was no longer shouting.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
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
She expects the US interest in Greenland to continue "like a wave", ebbing and flowing.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
Their last strength of mind and body was swiftly ebbing.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
