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.
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, adjective un·ebb·ing, adjectiveWords nearby ebb
Example sentences from the Web for ebb
British Dictionary definitions for ebb
ebb
/ (ɛb) /
verb (intr)
(of tide water) to flow back or recede
Compare 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
Idioms and Phrases with ebb
ebb