recede
v.to move back or away from a place. It often describes things like water going back into the sea or a crowd moving away from a stage.
v.to move back or away from a position; to withdraw or retreat. Often describes the physical movement of a liquid or the gradual reduction of a crowd.
“The tide begins to recede at sunset.”
“As the sun went down, the crowd started to recede, leaving the empty stadium in silence.”
“The morning mist began to recede as the first rays of sunlight broke over the horizon, revealing the jagged peaks of the distant mountains.”
“The pair disappeared from view and reemerged after several seconds as the wave receded.”
“He also told the BBC that many people had already fled into the hills because the sea had also receded.”
Inherited from Middle English receden, from Middle French receder and its etymon Latin recedere (“to withdraw; to go back”), from re- + cedere (“to go”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.