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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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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
Simon Sebag Montefiore,
The Atlantic,
28 June 2026
That number has fluctuated from a high of 115,000 in May to a low of about 16,000 on the day before this column was published, ebbing and flowing as tickets were purchased, new batches were released and FIFA (maybe) pulled back others.
—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
10 June 2026
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
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 autocracies are surging, and democracies ebbing.
—
Simon Sebag Montefiore,
The Atlantic,
28 June 2026
That number has fluctuated from a high of 115,000 in May to a low of about 16,000 on the day before this column was published, ebbing and flowing as tickets were purchased, new batches were released and FIFA (maybe) pulled back others.
—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
10 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ebbing
Noun
-
But nothing competes with the painful deterioration of her sight after contracting scarlet fever.
-
In addition, city officials can now require owners to install security measures to help protect vacant buildings from further deterioration or trespassing.
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.
Verb
-
In 1922, Kenmore House was deteriorating, and the Kenmore Association and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) needed $30,000 for its repairs and restoration.
-
And his political standing is now suddenly deteriorating to the point where Congress is maybe losing some of its fear, and there may be a different Congress after November.
Verb
-
The afternoon started tough until the wind kept subsiding, and players began taking aim at flags.
-
Weather service and public safety officials said the safest thing to do is to stay away from the beaches altogether until the southern swells start subsiding.
Noun
-
Press freedoms across Africa are already fragile, with most nations ranking in the lower half of an influential press freedoms index, while numerous recent coups have contributed to a weakening of democratic norms in parts of the continent.
-
One of the most significant changes during Hill’s tenure was the weakening of structures designed to elevate teacher concerns to district leadership, Oreskovic said.
Verb
-
In the temple's crumbling courtyard, little remains… mostly empty pedestals scattered among the Sralao trees.
-
This medieval village was built onto a cliff overlooking the sea, where you can get lost in the narrow lanes among crumbling buildings with laundry dangling on clotheslines.
Verb
-
Most of these early mandate states were centered around the Northeast, where viral spread started decreasing as a result of normal season patterns.
-
Across the United States, cities are decreasing the number of available psychiatric beds just as demand is surging.
Noun
-
The aisles were so choked that blooms and branches brushed against us, the air heady with the scent of lilies, roses, eucalyptus, and sweet decay.
-
The physical properties of TRISO fuel and gas cooling allow the core to dissipate residual decay heat naturally.
Cite this Entry
“Ebbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ebbing. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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