ebb
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb
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(of tide water) to flow back or recede Compare flow
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to fall away or decline
noun
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the flowing back of the tide from high to low water or the period in which this takes place
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( as modifier ) Compare flood
the ebb tide
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in a state or period of weakness, lack of vigour, or decline
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ebbsimple
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ebbssimple
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have ebbedperfect
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has ebbedperfect
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am ebbingprogressive
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are ebbingprogressive
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is ebbingprogressive
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have been ebbingperfect progressive
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has been ebbingperfect progressive
Past
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ebbedsimple
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had ebbedperfect
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was ebbingprogressive
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were ebbingprogressive
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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
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List 5
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Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
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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.
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
“There is a lot of ebb and flow in the garden,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
Wars ebb and flow, and right now Ukraine's facing a harsh tide.
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
One day I had come to my studies in lower spirits than usual; the ebb was occasioned by a poignantly felt disappointment.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
