1
: the reflux of the tide toward the sea
2
: a point or condition of decline
our spirits were at a low ebb
ebbed; ebbing; ebbs
1
: to recede from the flood
2
: to fall from a higher to a lower level or from a better to a worse state
his popularity ebbed
Synonyms
Examples of ebb in a Sentence
Noun
Morale seems to have reached its lowest ebb.
a surprising ebb in the quality of workmanship in goods coming from that country
Verb
waiting for the tide to ebb
the fortunes of the town slowly ebbed as factory after textile factory closed
Recent Examples on the Web
Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
South Vietnam had just fallen to Communist troops, and so U.S. confidence was at a low ebb.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
This expectation of a coming ebb receives reinforcement from households’ typical response to inflation.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
As has been the case for months, housing costs continue to make up the lion’s share of America’s inflation, while price increases ebb in other categories such as gas and used cars.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
Sure, there was that late-aughts ebb, but now there’s just so much flow.
—Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2024
Such outreach, however, has been at a low ebb in recent years.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024
When interest rates are low, falling or — as in this case — expected to fall, demand for Treasury bonds ebbs, and precious metals, which don’t pay out any interest, become relatively more attractive.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
Even as inflation ebbs, food seems to be the final frontier that consumers must traverse as weekly trips to the grocery store weigh more on peoples’ wallets.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
That is what made the way last season ended so disappointing for Miami, with a prolific offense ebbing and critical injuries on defense and a first-round playoff loss in arctic Kansas City.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
Once the easy money evaporated and investor buyers were relegated to the sidelines – selling motivation ebbed.
—Allen Buchanan, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024
This isn't the first time the Red Cross has called on the public to replenish ebbing blood donations to head off shortages.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
Dan Loeb, one of the most successful hedge-fund managers of his generation, ended 2023 on a strong note, a rebound that suggests his difficult period may be ebbing.
—WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024
In 2012, Lake Powell levels started receding noticeably, and Cataract Canyon, at the far edges of the reservoir, was the first to begin resurfacing from under the ebbing lake waters.
—Cassidy Randall, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2024
Now, even as inflation rates have ebbed, the hack of keeping a price unchanged but just filling, say, your bag of chips with less food, hasn’t.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
In another sign that recession fears are ebbing, just 27% of the CEOs expect economic conditions to worsen over the next six months.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
Kylie McRoberts takes the job with trust in the former Twitter at a low ebb, partly thanks to X’s reputation for spreading misinformation and hate speech.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
South Vietnam had just fallen to Communist troops, and so U.S. confidence was at a low ebb.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 25 Mar. 2024
This expectation of a coming ebb receives reinforcement from households’ typical response to inflation.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
As has been the case for months, housing costs continue to make up the lion’s share of America’s inflation, while price increases ebb in other categories such as gas and used cars.
—Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
Sure, there was that late-aughts ebb, but now there’s just so much flow.
—Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 17 Jan. 2024
Such outreach, however, has been at a low ebb in recent years.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024
When interest rates are low, falling or — as in this case — expected to fall, demand for Treasury bonds ebbs, and precious metals, which don’t pay out any interest, become relatively more attractive.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024
Even as inflation ebbs, food seems to be the final frontier that consumers must traverse as weekly trips to the grocery store weigh more on peoples’ wallets.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
For this reason, as the controversy over Modified Newtonian Dynamics-versus-dark matter has ebbed and flowed, astronomers have tended to favor the dark matter idea.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
That is what made the way last season ended so disappointing for Miami, with a prolific offense ebbing and critical injuries on defense and a first-round playoff loss in arctic Kansas City.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024
Once the easy money evaporated and investor buyers were relegated to the sidelines – selling motivation ebbed.
—Allen Buchanan, Orange County Register, 4 Feb. 2024
This isn't the first time the Red Cross has called on the public to replenish ebbing blood donations to head off shortages.
—Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024
Dan Loeb, one of the most successful hedge-fund managers of his generation, ended 2023 on a strong note, a rebound that suggests his difficult period may be ebbing.
—WSJ, 9 Jan. 2024
In 2012, Lake Powell levels started receding noticeably, and Cataract Canyon, at the far edges of the reservoir, was the first to begin resurfacing from under the ebbing lake waters.
—Cassidy Randall, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2024
Now, even as inflation rates have ebbed, the hack of keeping a price unchanged but just filling, say, your bag of chips with less food, hasn’t.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
In another sign that recession fears are ebbing, just 27% of the CEOs expect economic conditions to worsen over the next six months.
—Krystal Hur, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ebb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ebb
Cite this Entry
“Ebb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ebb. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ebb
1 of 2 noun1
: the flow away from the shore of seawater brought in by the tide
2
: a passing from a high to a low point
our spirits were at a low ebb
also
: the time of such a passing
ebb
2 of 2 verb1
: to recede from the flood
2
: to fall from a higher level or better state : weaken
her strength ebbed
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