as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
seniors who stay active can keep at bay some of the inevitable ebbing of the memory that comes with advanced years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in waning
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in deteriorating
to become worse or of less value
the fortunes of the town slowly ebbed as factory after textile factory closed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in subsiding
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the howling winds ebbed as the hurricane moved into the interior
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ebbing
Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Perplexed, Smith texted her friend Jackie Caplan-Auerbach to see if the Western Washington University seismologist might know if this odd ebbing and flowing could be the result of a nearby landslide.
—Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Those who feel their power ebbing, however, may bluster and bellow.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026
Any ebbing of drone strikes could be deceptive, with Iran amassing them for another swarming assault.
—Mikhail Alexseev, Twin Cities, 22 Mar. 2026
In that period, with the Covid pandemic ebbing, thousands were detained and sent home.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
An outbreak forced farmers and commercial producers to slaughter entire broods of egg-laying hens, but ebbing cases in the second half of last year helped restore egg supplies, said Mark Jordan, the executive director of agricultural research firm LEAP Market Analytics.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The effects of its costly price war with T-Mobile seem to be ebbing.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
They wed in September 2021, in the ebbing months of the pandemic.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
The state’s political appetite to keep transitioning away from oil has been clearly ebbing as residents balk at the cost of everything in California, most notably the chronically high cost of gasoline and the periodic spikes during a hiccup in production.
—Tom Philp, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Daylight was ebbing as rescuers set up.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Zelensky is hobbled at home, power cuts and frontline casualties blighting morale, and the repeat agony of loss, diplomatic deceit and pressure, coupled with ebbing aid, lead so many to question where this story ends without a growing Russian win?
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 3 Dec. 2025
Rising drug and hospital costs are often cited as major culprits for rising health insurance costs, and neither shows signs of ebbing.
—Phil Galewitz, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
What's more, CEOs say there are no signs of consumer demand ebbing.
—Doug Gollan, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Perplexed, Smith texted her friend Jackie Caplan-Auerbach to see if the Western Washington University seismologist might know if this odd ebbing and flowing could be the result of a nearby landslide.
—Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Those who feel their power ebbing, however, may bluster and bellow.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026
Any ebbing of drone strikes could be deceptive, with Iran amassing them for another swarming assault.
—Mikhail Alexseev, Twin Cities, 22 Mar. 2026
In that period, with the Covid pandemic ebbing, thousands were detained and sent home.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
Verb
The emergency itself seems to be ebbing.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 2 June 2026
An outbreak forced farmers and commercial producers to slaughter entire broods of egg-laying hens, but ebbing cases in the second half of last year helped restore egg supplies, said Mark Jordan, the executive director of agricultural research firm LEAP Market Analytics.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The effects of its costly price war with T-Mobile seem to be ebbing.
—Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
They wed in September 2021, in the ebbing months of the pandemic.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Jan. 2026
The state’s political appetite to keep transitioning away from oil has been clearly ebbing as residents balk at the cost of everything in California, most notably the chronically high cost of gasoline and the periodic spikes during a hiccup in production.
—Tom Philp, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Daylight was ebbing as rescuers set up.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Zelensky is hobbled at home, power cuts and frontline casualties blighting morale, and the repeat agony of loss, diplomatic deceit and pressure, coupled with ebbing aid, lead so many to question where this story ends without a growing Russian win?
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 3 Dec. 2025
Rising drug and hospital costs are often cited as major culprits for rising health insurance costs, and neither shows signs of ebbing.
—Phil Galewitz, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ebbing
Noun
-
The global public square has been getting coarser for years, and social media has played a big part in the deterioration.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
1 June 2026
-
The damage required removal of the affected portion in hopes of preventing further deterioration.—
Brian Unger,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Even better, the peak of this shower, which should produce on average between 8 to 10 meteors per hour, will arrive under dark skies thanks to a meager waning crescent moon.—
Michael d'Estries,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But higher oil prices — particularly if the conflict in the Middle East escalates — or a deteriorating labor market could make the consumer slowdown sharper than currently anticipated.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
2 June 2026
-
Raman, who endorsed Bass’ reelection bid only to launch a surprise campaign to unseat her, said the incumbent lacked urgency on an array of issues, including production of new apartments, fixing deteriorating streets and sidewalks, and halting the exodus of entertainment industry jobs.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Breezy winds return on Tuesday after subsiding somewhat on Monday.—
Rachael Jay,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
-
But there were no signs that the conflict was subsiding.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This weakening of currency, combined with inflated jet fuel prices, has also led to one of the country’s major airlines, Air India, to cancel more than a quarter of its international flights between June and August.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
28 May 2026
-
Wall Street’s primary concern is competition from Anthropic and OpenAI weakening demand and pricing power for its customer relationship management software, which for years drove robust growth at high margins.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The fireball expands out and covers the entire launch pad as the fuselage of the rocket can be seen crumbling into the flames.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
-
Our work behind the scenes keeps the whole edifice from crumbling—at least for now.—
Pablo Strauss,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
His attorney, Doug Kelley, released a statement touting successes during O'Hara's tenure, including diversifying and increasing the department's ranks, the decreasing violent crime rate and mitigating violent clashes during the immigration crackdown.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
-
Some residents have raised concerns about how cutting property taxes would impact the city’s financial health by decreasing revenue.—
Tess Riski
May 28,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The 1970s were an evolutionary step for global science fiction films, with some of the most pivotal and game-changing releases helping to expand the genre by addressing environmental issues, political unrest, technology anxiety, societal decay, and existential questions of life and death.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
29 May 2026
-
Protects against rot and water infiltration, reducing the risk of weakening, structural failure, and decay.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ebbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ebbing. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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