ebbtide
Ocean pulling back
Ebbtide is the outgoing tide, when water recedes from shore toward the sea—the opposite of flood tide.
The word appears in figurative contexts suggesting decline or withdrawal: the ebbtide of his political influence.
Usually written as two words: ebb tide.
Coastal areas exposed at low tide
- sandbarUnderwater ridge of sediment
- rockpoolsWater-filled coastal hollows
- seashellsEmpty mollusk exoskeletons
- barnaclesShell-armored marine clingers
anemones · starfish · strandline · clamming · beachcombing · foraging · wading · intertidal
Sanctuary or withdrawal
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- waneDecrease gradually
- subsideDecrease in intensity
- diminishTo make smaller
decline · decrease · lessen · fade · dwindle · shrink · drop · fall
Of the moon
- periodicOccurring at intervals
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
flux · alternation · cycle · pattern · regularity · succession · neap · spring
Tidal mixing zone
- saltmarshCoastal wetland with brackish water
- coastlineLand-water boundary
- shorebirdsCoastal avian foragers
- sandpipersSmall probing shorebirds
oystercatchers · harbor · bay · channel · strait · gulf · inlet · cove
mudflats
Coastal areas exposed at low tide
- sandbarUnderwater ridge of sediment
- rockpoolsWater-filled coastal hollows
- seashellsEmpty mollusk exoskeletons
barnacles · anemones · starfish · strandline · clamming · beachcombing · foraging · wading · intertidal · littoral
retreat
Sanctuary or withdrawal
- withdrawalAct of taking away
- waneDecrease gradually
- subsideDecrease in intensity
diminish · decline · decrease · lessen · fade · dwindle · shrink · drop · fall · sink
lunar
Of the moon
- periodicOccurring at intervals
- oscillationRepeated back-and-forth movement
- rhythmPatterned stress and silence
cadence · flux · alternation · cycle · pattern · regularity · succession · neap · spring · phases
estuary
Tidal mixing zone
- saltmarshCoastal wetland with brackish water
- coastlineLand-water boundary
- shorebirdsCoastal avian foragers
sandpipers · oystercatchers · harbor · bay · channel · strait · gulf · inlet · cove · lagoon
anchorage
Secure harbor spot
- navigationDetermining position and course
- seafaringTraveling by ocean vessel
- sailorSeafaring crew member
vessel · ship · marina · buoy · dockyard · mooring · shoal · grounding · draft · keel
ebbtideflood tide
Incoming tidal flow
rising tide · high tide · flood · flow · spring tide
ebbtiderising tide
Ocean level increasing
surge · groundswell · resurgence · ascent · flood tide
tide, ebb, tides, tidal, ebbing, riptide, ebbed, tidemark, tideway