ebb
To slowly get weaker or drain away, like the tide going out.
ebb in a sentence
- As the long afternoon wore on, Tom's energy began to ebb, and his eyelids drooped.
- As the tide began to ebb, the rock pools appeared one by one along the beach.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to ebb?
- Aswell
- Bgrow
- Crise
- Dfade
Show the answer
D: fade. The other three mean the opposite of ebb.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to ebb?
- Agrow
- Bweaken
- Cfade
- Dshrink
Show the answer
A: grow. The other three mean nearly the same as ebb.
Words that mean something similar
fade, shrink, weaken
Words that mean the opposite
grow, rise, swell
More words about time & change
- elapse: To go by or pass, used when talking about time.
- endure: To put up with something difficult for a long time.
- ensue: To happen straight after something else, often because of it.
- evolve: To change and develop slowly over time.
- fatal: Causing death, or leading to complete failure.
- fleeting: Lasting only a very short time.
- frequent: Happening often.
- imminent: About to happen very soon.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test