/ eb; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
the ebb [ usually sing. ] the period of time when the sea flows away from the land :
the ebb tide
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IDIOMS
- the ebb and flow (of sth/sb)
—more at low adjective
■ verb [ v ]
1.
( formal ) ( of the tide in the sea ) to move away from the land
SYN go out
OPP flow
2.
ebb (away) to become gradually weaker or less
SYN decrease :
The pain was ebbing.
As night fell, our enthusiasm began to ebb away.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English ebba (noun), ebbian (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch ebbe (noun), ebben (verb), and ultimately to of which had the primary sense away from .