"ebb and flow" meaning in English

See ebb and flow in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: ebbs and flows [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun|ebbs and flows}} ebb and flow (plural ebbs and flows)
  1. The flowing out and in of the tide. Translations (flowing out and in of the tide): eb en vloed (Dutch), flux et reflux (French), მიმოქცევა (mimokceva) (Georgian), მიქცევ-მოქცევა (mikcev-mokceva) (Georgian), Ebbe und Flut (German), árapály (Hungarian), tuile agus trá (Irish), 浮き沈み (ukishizumi) (Japanese), 干満 (kanman) (Japanese), جزر و مد (jazr-o- mad) (Persian), ebb och flod (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-ebb_and_flow-en-noun-FKL-~8h3 Disambiguation of 'flowing out and in of the tide': 80 20
  2. (figuratively) A large flowing out and in, or any waxing and waning of fortunes or activity. Tags: figuratively
    Sense id: en-ebb_and_flow-en-noun-6OqYr6V6
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: at a low ebb

Verb

Forms: ebbs and flows [present, singular, third-person], ebbing and flowing [participle, present], ebbed and flowed [participle, past], ebbed and flowed [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|ebb<> and flow<>}} ebb and flow (third-person singular simple present ebbs and flows, present participle ebbing and flowing, simple past and past participle ebbed and flowed)
  1. To alternately ebb and flow, as:
    (of the tides) To recede and advance.
    Categories (topical): Tides
    Sense id: en-ebb_and_flow-en-verb-owmhLKow Disambiguation of Tides: 7 6 42 46
  2. To alternately ebb and flow, as:
    (figuratively) To wax and wane.
    Tags: figuratively Categories (topical): Tides, Water
    Sense id: en-ebb_and_flow-en-verb-ecQN85L6 Disambiguation of Tides: 7 6 42 46 Disambiguation of Water: 4 9 38 49 Categories (other): English links with manual fragments, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 5 32 15 47 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 5 26 16 52 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 5 26 17 52
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: come and go

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for ebb and flow meaning in English (5.3kB)

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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "ebbs and flows",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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  "head_templates": [
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
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      "_dis1": "52 48",
      "word": "at a low ebb"
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  ],
  "senses": [
    {
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        "The flowing out and in of the tide."
      ],
      "id": "en-ebb_and_flow-en-noun-FKL-~8h3",
      "links": [
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          "tide",
          "tide#English"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "eb en vloed"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "flux et reflux"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "mimokceva",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "მიმოქცევა"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "mikcev-mokceva",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "მიქცევ-მოქცევა"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "Ebbe und Flut"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "árapály"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "tuile agus trá"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "ukishizumi",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "浮き沈み"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kanman",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "干満"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "jazr-o- mad",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "جزر و مد"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
          "word": "ebb och flod"
        }
      ]
    },
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      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "October 29 2001, The New Yorker Online\nI want to hear the roaring ebb and flow of Broadway."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A large flowing out and in, or any waxing and waning of fortunes or activity."
      ],
      "id": "en-ebb_and_flow-en-noun-6OqYr6V6",
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        "(figuratively) A large flowing out and in, or any waxing and waning of fortunes or activity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "ebb and flow"
}

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      "form": "ebbing and flowing",
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        "present"
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    },
    {
      "form": "ebbed and flowed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
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    },
    {
      "form": "ebbed and flowed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
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  "head_templates": [
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      "name": "en-verb"
    }
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "word": "come and go"
    }
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  "senses": [
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          "_dis": "7 6 42 46",
          "kind": "topical",
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            "Periodic occurrences",
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            "Astrophysics",
            "Mechanics",
            "Time",
            "Physics",
            "Astronomy",
            "All topics",
            "Sciences",
            "Space",
            "Fundamental",
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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      "glosses": [
        "To alternately ebb and flow, as:",
        "To recede and advance."
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      "id": "en-ebb_and_flow-en-verb-owmhLKow",
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          "alternately",
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          "ebb"
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          "flow",
          "flow"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "To alternately ebb and flow, as:",
        "(of the tides) To recede and advance."
      ],
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        "of the tides"
      ]
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            "Mechanics",
            "Time",
            "Physics",
            "Astronomy",
            "All topics",
            "Sciences",
            "Space",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nature"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "4 9 38 49",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Water",
          "orig": "en:Water",
          "parents": [
            "Liquids",
            "Matter",
            "Chemistry",
            "Nature",
            "Sciences",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
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      "glosses": [
        "To alternately ebb and flow, as:",
        "To wax and wane."
      ],
      "id": "en-ebb_and_flow-en-verb-ecQN85L6",
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          "alternately",
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          "wax and wane",
          "wax and wane#Verb"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "To alternately ebb and flow, as:",
        "(figuratively) To wax and wane."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
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}
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    "English terms first attested in Shakespeare",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs",
    "en:Tides",
    "en:Water"
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  "forms": [
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  "head_templates": [
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "at a low ebb"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The flowing out and in of the tide."
      ],
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        ]
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      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "October 29 2001, The New Yorker Online\nI want to hear the roaring ebb and flow of Broadway."
        }
      ],
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        "A large flowing out and in, or any waxing and waning of fortunes or activity."
      ],
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        "(figuratively) A large flowing out and in, or any waxing and waning of fortunes or activity."
      ],
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        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "eb en vloed"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "flux et reflux"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "mimokceva",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "მიმოქცევა"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "mikcev-mokceva",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "მიქცევ-მოქცევა"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "Ebbe und Flut"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "árapály"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "tuile agus trá"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "ukishizumi",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "浮き沈み"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kanman",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "干満"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "jazr-o- mad",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "جزر و مد"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "flowing out and in of the tide",
      "word": "ebb och flod"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ebb and flow"
}

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    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
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      "form": "ebbed and flowed",
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      "name": "en-verb"
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
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      "word": "come and go"
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        "To alternately ebb and flow, as:",
        "To recede and advance."
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        "To alternately ebb and flow, as:",
        "(of the tides) To recede and advance."
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        "To wax and wane."
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          "ebb",
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        "To alternately ebb and flow, as:",
        "(figuratively) To wax and wane."
      ],
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    }
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  "word": "ebb and flow"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.