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ebb

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word ebb distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of ebb are abate, subside, and wane. While all these words mean "to die down in force or intensity," ebb suggests the receding of something (such as the tide) that commonly comes and goes.

the ebbing of daylight

When could abate be used to replace ebb?

While the synonyms abate and ebb are close in meaning, abate stresses the idea of progressive diminishing.

the storm abated

When can subside be used instead of ebb?

In some situations, the words subside and ebb are roughly equivalent. However, subside implies the ceasing of turbulence or agitation.

the protests subsided after a few days

When might wane be a better fit than ebb?

The words wane and ebb can be used in similar contexts, but wane suggests the fading or weakening of something good or impressive.

waning enthusiasm

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ebb
Noun
Marlins 70-79 asthe MLB season ebbs. Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2025 Ties reached their lowest ebb in January 2010 after the Israeli security service Mossad dispatched a 27-strong death squad to Dubai to assassinate Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior weapons procurer for Hamas. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
Beverage makers are grappling with consumers’ desires for healthier fare, and sales of beer and soda have ebbed. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Sep. 2025 Then as floodwaters slowly ebbed away, seeds for the harvest could be sown. Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ebb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ebb
Noun
  • Some of it is also related to the age and deterioration of much of the grid, which now requires rebuilding.
    Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The deterioration in the labor market has been concentrated in payroll employment, which is the [datapoint] that is the most susceptible to demographic and immigration changes.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Residents should also remain alert to rapidly changing forecasts, as conditions may deteriorate quickly.
    Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Grace appears dazed when others pick up on her ache, and takes a perverse pleasure in Jackson’s struggle to deal with her deteriorating mental health.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This can reduce dependence on critical raw materials, lower costs, decrease carbon emissions, and ultimately make sustainable technologies more reliable and accessible in everyday life, as per the release.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The trend, Morales said, should come as a giant, blinking warning sign for Republicans, who ran in 2024 on promises to decrease inflation and improve the cost of living for everyday Americans.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • However, the league is looking to its next steps to after the 2025 season saw a 5% decline in game attendance, according to Sports Business Journal.
    Jessica Golden, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2025
  • But their party went into swift decline during the Cold War that began in the late 1940s and barely exists today.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • But when her husband told her that his father would inherit everything, her sense of security began to crumble.
    Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Vilgefortz, true to form, begins by leading a squadron that blasts magic so aggressively at the fortress that some of them crumble into bones on the spot.
    Scott Meslow, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Floods in Cebu City had subsided late on Tuesday but power was still out in many places and telecommunications services were intermittent, a Reuters journalist in Cebu said.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
  • But the tech wave has since subsided.
    Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Presenting their findings in a lengthy declination memo, the prosecutors explicitly mentioned the two other investigations to bolster their recommendation that probable cause does not exist to charge Comey, according to sources familiar with the contents of the memo.
    Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
  • On those three dates, variations in the moon's position relative to Earth's equator — particularly its declination — can influence tidal forces that subtly affect Earth's rotation rate.
    Jamie Carter, Space.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Their fate worsened when star striker Barbra Banda, who was crowned NWSL Championship MVP last year, was injured during a mid-August match, ending her season.
    Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Esperance, the human-rights advocate who once opposed a foreign intervention and has since changed his mind as the gang violence worsens, said any election held now would in effect turn the country over to the gangs.
    Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ebb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ebb. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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