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.

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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

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noun

1. 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

ebb Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing ebb

• at a low ebb

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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

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.

Example Sentences

Wars ebb and flow, and right now Ukraine's facing a harsh tide.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

Ms. DuBois cannot be faulted for recounting the ebb and flow of 19th-century reform campaigns, and she does it well.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

There appears to be room for price gains for superlong JGB sector, however, demand could be temporary and will probably ebb by end-March, Citi Research’s Tomohisa Fujiki says in a research report.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

At the same time, he acknowledged that the decline was likely also the result of other factors that govern the ebb and flow of crime.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026

Despite the terror of Peri-Urban, the lives of my family, neighbours and community continued to ebb and flow along a predictable, monotonous course.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• abate
• degenerate
• deteriorate
• die down
• die out
• diminish
• dwindle
• ease off
• fall away
• fall back
• lessen
• melt
• peter out
• recede
• shrink
• slacken
• wane
• weaken