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Synonyms

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.

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

"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

noun

    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

"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
ebb Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing ebb

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

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.

“There is a lot of ebb and flow in the garden,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Deflation is starting to ebb, he points out.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

It isn’t clear if or when those tensions will ebb.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

The result: India-Bangladesh relations, once touted as a model of neighbourhood diplomacy, are now at their lowest ebb in decades.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 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

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.