ebb

[ eb ]

/ ɛb /

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See synonyms for: ebb / ebbed / ebbing on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a flowing backward or away; decline or decay: the ebb of a once great nation.

a point of decline: His fortunes were at a low ebb.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR ebb

4 subside, abate, recede, retire.

5 dwindle, diminish, decrease.

See synonyms for ebb on Thesaurus.com

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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, adjective

Words nearby ebb

eave trough, EB, Eban, eBay, eBayer, ebb, ebb and flow, Ebbinghaus, ebb tide, Ebbw Vale, EBCDIC

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ebb in a sentence

This flexibility allows Coupang to match its labor costs to the ebb and flow of business and keep things lean.
This company delivers packages faster than Amazon, but workers pay the price|Max S. Kim|June 9, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The retailer selected the cloud-based platform to provide customers a personalized shopping experience, based on data reflecting their history with the company, and to respond quickly to the ebbs and flows of business.
An old-fashioned retailer’s modern marketing approach|Sponsored Content: Oracle Advertising and CX|May 25, 2021|Search Engine Land
People already enrolled in Lifeline can also get the EBB, but th EBB covers many more Americans.
The government wants to pay your Internet bill for a few months. Here’s what you need to do.|Geoffrey Fowler|May 12, 2021|Washington Post
I’ve also found a number of ISPs claiming their older plans aren’t eligible for the EBB.
The government wants to pay your Internet bill for a few months. Here’s what you need to do.|Geoffrey Fowler|May 12, 2021|Washington Post

Lawmakers authorized the EBB in December as part of a $2 trillion coronavirus aid package.
The government wants to pay your Internet bill for a few months. Here’s what you need to do.|Geoffrey Fowler|May 12, 2021|Washington Post
Ebb and flow, checks and balances, the center would hold, et cetera.
A Veteran’s View: NYC Cold War Between Cops and City Hall|Matt Gallagher|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Analyzing the ebb and flow of the race, Howie said Weiland has positive momentum but Rounds is collapsing.
South Dakota's Bizarre Four-Way (Senate Election, That Is)|Ben Jacobs|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps this accounts for the ebb and flow of her popularity.
The Fiction Writer Shirley Jackson Stars in Her Own Novel|Hugh Ryan|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Shrier noted that undergarment trends tend to “ebb and flow.”
Kate Middleton’s “Bottomgate” Shows Why Women Still Need Slips|Keli Goff|May 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Russia are at a disturbingly low ebb.
Putin Vs. Obama—In Spandex: Wrestling’s New Cold War|Tim Teeman|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Having passed all the dangers, the ebb-tide very soon carried us out of the river into Hanover Bay.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
The ebb tide after noon was against us, and the wind being light, we were making no progress.
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia] [Volume 2 of 2]|Phillip Parker King
We cross over the bridges that span salty channels, oozy and redolent of ocean and sea-weed during the hours of ebb.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
Russian opera was then at a low ebb, and he only went to hear his favourite work, A Life for the Tsar.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
Every emotion, unless it be that of love, must have its ebb; and by nightfall the settlers were returning to their old caution.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with ebb

ebb

In addition to the idioms beginning with ebb

ebb and flow

also see:

at a low ebb