ebb
[ eb ]
/ ɛb /
noun
verb (used without object)
to flow back or away, as the water of a tide (opposed to flow).
to decline or decay; fade away: His life is gradually ebbing.
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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
OTHER WORDS FROM ebb
un·ebbed, adjectiveun·ebb·ing, adjectiveWords nearby ebb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for ebb
British Dictionary definitions for ebb
ebb
/ (ɛb) /
verb (intr)
(of tide water) to flow back or recedeCompare flow (def. 9)
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)the ebb tide Compare flood (def. 3)
at a low ebb in a state or period of weakness, lack of vigour, or decline
Word Origin for ebb
Old English ebba; related to Old Norse efja river bend, Gothic ibuks moving backwards, Old High German ippihōn to roll backwards, Middle Dutch ebbe ebb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Idioms and Phrases with ebb
ebb
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.