ebb

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɛb/ See IPA manual

Freq #30927

Meanings

1

verb
(of the tide) To flow back away from the shore.

We waited for the tide to ebb before walking out to the rocks.
2

verb
To slowly become weaker or smaller.

As the night went on, the patient's strength ebbed away.
3

noun
A time when something is at a low or weak point.

Her confidence was at its lowest ebb after the failure.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · (of the tide) to flow back... go outrecede wane

Opposites

flood flow

Word family

Forms ebbedebbingebbs

Derived forms ebblessunebbing

Related forms neap tide

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

ebb tide
the outgoing tide as the sea level falls

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English ebbe, from Old English ebba (“ebb, tide”), from Proto-West Germanic *abbjā, from Proto-Germanic *abjô, *abjǭ, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“off, away”), from Proto-Indo-European *apó. See also West Frisian ebbe, Dutch eb, German Ebbe, Danish ebbe, Old Norse efja (“countercurrent”), Old English af. More at of, off.

ebbe Middle English ebba Old English *abbjā Proto-West Germanic *abjô Proto-Germanic *ab Proto-Germanic *apó Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# ebb

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ɛb/
**Frequency rank:** 30927

## Meanings
1. (of the tide) To flow back away from the shore.
2. To slowly become weaker or smaller.
3. A time when something is at a low or weak point.

## Examples
- We waited for the tide to ebb before walking out to the rocks.
- As the night went on, the patient's strength ebbed away.
- Her confidence was at its lowest ebb after the failure.

## Antonyms
- flood
- flow

## Derived Forms
- ebbless
- unebbing

## Related Forms
- neap
- tide

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: ebbe
- Root: ebba
- Root: *abbjā
- Root: *abjô
- Root: *ab
- Root: *apó

## Etymology
From Middle English ebbe, from Old English ebba (“ebb, tide”), from Proto-West Germanic *abbjā, from Proto-Germanic *abjô, *abjǭ, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“off, away”), from Proto-Indo-European *apó. See also West Frisian ebbe, Dutch eb, German Ebbe, Danish ebbe, Old Norse efja (“countercurrent”), Old English af. More at of, off.

## AI Etymology
Ebb is from Middle English ebbe, from Old English ebba (“ebb, tide”), from Proto-West Germanic *abbjā, from Proto-Germanic *abjô, *abjǭ, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“off, away”), from Proto-Indo-European *apó. See also West Frisian ebbe, Dutch eb, German Ebbe, Danish ebbe, Old Norse efja (“countercurrent”), Old English af. More at of, off. Important recorded forms include ebbe (Middle English), ebba (Old English), *abbjā (Proto-West Germanic), *abjô (Proto-Germanic), *ab (Proto-Germanic), and *apó (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include (of the tide) To flow back away from the shore and to slowly become weaker or smaller. The wider family includes derived forms such as ebbless and unebbing; related words such as neap and tide.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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ebb