ebb and flow

noun

The flowing out and in of the tide.

“October 29 2001, The New Yorker Online I want to hear the roaring ebb and flow of Broadway.”

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Meanings

nounebb and flow (plural ebbs and flows)

plural ebbs and flows

  1. The flowing out and in of the tide.
  2. figurativelyA large flowing out and in, or any waxing and waning of fortunes or activity.

    October 29 2001, The New Yorker Online I want to hear the roaring ebb and flow of Broadway.

verbebb and flow (third-person singular simple present ebbs and flows, present participle ebbing and flowing, simple past and past participle ebbed and flowed)

present singular third person ebbs and flows · participle present ebbing and flowing · participle past ebbed and flowed · past ebbed and flowed

  1. To alternately ebb and flow, as:
    1. To recede and advance.

      As true we are as flesh and blood can be: / The sea will ebb and flow, heaven show his face

      c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii]
    2. figurativelyTo wax and wane.

      The quality of his service game varied as the contest ebbed and flowed, but landing 54% of his first serves over the whole match was a telling statistic.

      2025 June 8, Jonathan Jurejko, “Alcaraz stuns Sinner in extraordinary French Open final”, in BBC

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
wax and wane

Translations

Dutch eb en vloed
  • eb en vloedflowing out and in of the tide
French flux et reflux
  • flux et refluxflowing out and in of the tide
German Ebbe und Flut
  • Ebbe und Flutflowing out and in of the tide
Hindi ज्वारभाटा
  • ज्वारभाटा (jvārbhāṭā)flowing out and in of the tide
Hungarian árapály
  • árapályflowing out and in of the tide
Irish tuile agus trá
  • tuile agus tráflowing out and in of the tide
Japanese 浮き沈み, 干満
  • 浮き沈み (ukishizumi)flowing out and in of the tide
  • 干満 (kanman)flowing out and in of the tide
Persian جزر و مد
  • جزر و مد (jazr-o- mad)flowing out and in of the tide
Polish wzloty i upadki
  • wzloty i upadkiflowing out and in of the tide
Swedish ebb och flod
  • ebb och flodflowing out and in of the tide
Vietnamese lên voi xuống chó, thăng trầm
  • lên voi xuống chóflowing out and in of the tide
  • thăng trầmflowing out and in of the tide
Cite this entry
APA

ebb and flow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ebb%20and%20flow

MLA

“ebb and flow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ebb%20and%20flow. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ebb and flow,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ebb%20and%20flow.

Source: ebb and flow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.