ebb

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Ebb tide.
2. n. A period of decline or diminution: "Insistence upon rules of conduct marks the ebb of religious fervor” ( Alfred North Whitehead).
3. v. To fall back from the flood stage.
4. v. To fall away or back; decline or recede. See Synonyms at recede¹.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The reflux or falling of the tide; the return of tide-water toward the sea: opposed to flood or flow. See tide.
2. n. A flowing backward or away; decline; decay; a gradual falling off or diminution: as, the ebb of prosperity; crime is on the ebb.
3. n. A name of the common bunting, Emberiza miliaria. Montagu.
4. Not deep; shallow.
5. To flow back; return, as the water of a tide, toward the ocean; subside: opposed to flow: as, the tide ebbs and flows twice in twenty-four hours. See tide.
6. To return or recede; fall away; decline.
7. Synonyms To recede, retire, decrease, sink, lower, wane, fall away.
8. To cause to subside.

Wiktionary

1. n. The receding movement of the tide.
2. n. A gradual decline
3. n. low state, state of depression
4. n. The European bunting
5. v. to flow back or recede
6. v. to fall away or decline
7. v. to fish with stakes and nets that serve to prevent the fish from getting back into the sea with the ebb
8. adj. low, shallow

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) The European bunting.
2. n. The reflux or flowing back of the tide; the return of the tidal wave toward the sea; -- opposed to flood.
3. n. The state or time of passing away; a falling from a better to a worse state; low state or condition; decline; decay.
4. v. To flow back; to return, as the water of a tide toward the ocean; -- opposed to flow.
5. v. To return or fall back from a better to a worse state; to decline; to decay; to recede.
6. v. obsolete To cause to flow back.
7. adj. Receding; going out; falling; shallow; low.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the outward flow of the tide
2. v. flow back or recede
3. n. a gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number)
4. v. fall away or decline
5. v. hem in fish with stakes and nets so as to prevent them from going back into the sea with the ebb