ebb and flow

idiom

—used to describe something that changes in a regular and repeated way

the ebb and flow of fashion

the ebb and flow of human history

Examples of ebb and flow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dockworkers were some of world trade’s first gig workers and largely still operate like that today — jobs ebb and flow along with the clip of port traffic. —Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024

Economic cycles, of course, ebb and flow and construction may rebound. —Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

My experience suggests that short-term price movements are often driven by the ebb and flow of investor sentiment in these companies, rather than the intrinsic value of successful business. —Steve Booren, The Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2024

Relationships with your adult children can ebb and flow over time. —Bea Lewis, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024

Monetization shifts, platform algorithms, advertising challenges, and the ebb and flow of patronage — all these converging factors have led to many closures in the industry. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024

To wit: a dress of iridescent watery abstraction that contains its own in ebb and flow, displayed next to delicate pen and ink illustrations of an octopus by the 19th-century French naturalist Charles-Alexandre Lesueur. —Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2024

As performance marketing tactics ebb and flow in their effectiveness, the brand stands as a steadfast asset that can propel a company to market leadership. —Harrison Wise, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2024

The patty melt has stood patiently in the shadow of the hamburger for so long that resistance to the ebb and flow of fashion seems to be baked into its being. —Pete Wells, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2024