ebb

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ebb   [eb] Show IPA
–noun
1.
the flowing back of the tide as the water returns to the sea (opposed to 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)
4.
to flow back or away, as the water of a tide (opposed to flow).
5.
to decline or decay; fade away: His life is gradually ebbing.
Use ebb in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 1000; (n.) ME eb(be), OE ebba; c. OFris ebba, D eb(be), G Ebbe ebb, ON efja place where water backs up; (v.) ME ebben, OE ebbian, deriv. of the n.; akin to off

—Related forms
un·ebbed, adjective
un·ebb·ing, adjective

—Synonyms
4. subside, abate, recede, retire. 5. dwindle, diminish, decrease.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.