Phrasal verb
ebb away
Definition
phrasal verb. to slowly decrease or disappear, like the tide going out or a feeling getting weaker.
phrasal verb. to gradually diminish or recede; often used metaphorically to describe the slow loss of an abstract quality such as confidence, strength, or life.
Examples
“His anger began to ebb away after he took a deep breath.”
“As the sun set, the crowd's energy started to ebb away and people began heading home.”
“The patient's strength continued to ebb away despite the medical team's best efforts to stabilize his condition.”
Examples
simple
“His anger began to ebb away after he took a deep breath.”
contextual
“As the sun set, the crowd's energy started to ebb away and people began heading home.”
complex
“The patient's strength continued to ebb away despite the medical team's best efforts to stabilize his condition.”
Usage
usually intransitive and used to describe feelings, qualities, or physical life.
Teaching tip
anchor this to the literal 'ebb tide' (the tide going out) to help students visualize the slow, natural movement of something leaving.
Pitfall
The pain ebbed away it.
The pain ebbed away.
this phrasal verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object.
Phrasal verb
Particles
away
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
verb + away
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/ebb-away