eclipse
Americannoun
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eclipses
plural
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Astronomy.
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the obscuration of the light of the moon by the intervention of the earth between it and the sun lunar eclipse or the obscuration of the light of the sun by the intervention of the moon between it and a point on the earth solar eclipse.
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a similar phenomenon with respect to any other planet and either its satellite or the sun.
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the partial or complete interception of the light of one component of a binary star by the other.
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any obscuration of light.
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a reduction or loss of splendor, status, reputation, etc..
Scandal caused the eclipse of his career.
verb (used with object)
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eclipses,
present (3rd person singular)
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eclipsed,
past participle, past
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eclipsing
present participle
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to cause to undergo eclipse.
The moon eclipsed the sun.
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to make less outstanding or important by comparison; surpass.
a soprano whose singing eclipsed that of her rivals.
noun
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the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the earth; a lunar eclipse when the earth passes between the sun and the moon See also total eclipse partial eclipse annular eclipse Compare occultation
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the period of time during which such a phenomenon occurs
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any dimming or obstruction of light
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a loss of importance, power, fame, etc, esp through overshadowing by another
verb
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to cause an eclipse of
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to cast a shadow upon; darken; obscure
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to overshadow or surpass in importance, power, etc
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The partial or total blocking of light of one celestial object by another. An eclipse of the Sun or Moon occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are aligned.
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◆ In a solar eclipse the Moon comes between the Sun and Earth. During a total solar eclipse the disk of the Moon fully covers that of the Sun, and only the Sun's corona is visible.
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◆ An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is farthest in its orbit from the Earth so that its disk does not fully cover that of the Sun, and part of the Sun's photosphere is visible as a ring around the Moon.
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◆ In a lunar eclipse all or a part of the Moon's disk enters the umbra of the Earth's shadow and is no longer illuminated by the Sun. Lunar eclipses occur only during a full moon, when the Moon is directly opposite the Sun.
Closer Look
The Sun is about 400 times wider than the Moon and 400 times farther from Earth, causing the two to appear to be almost exactly the same size in our sky. This relationship is also responsible for the phenomenon of the total solar eclipse, an eclipse of the Sun in which the disk of the Moon fully covers that of the Sun, blocking the Sun's light and causing the Moon's shadow to fall across the Earth. A total solar eclipse can be viewed only from a very narrow area on Earth, or zone of totality, where the dark central shadow of the Moon, or umbra, falls. From this perspective one can view the Sun's delicate corona—tendrils of charged gases that surround the Sun but are invisible to the unaided eye in normal daylight. This is also the only time when stars are visible in the day sky. Those viewing the eclipse from where the edges of the Moon's shadow, or penumbra, fall to Earth will see only a partial solar eclipse. The orbits of the Earth around the Sun and of the Moon around the Earth are not perfect circles, causing slight variations in how large the Sun and Moon appear to us and in the length of solar eclipses. The maximum duration of a total solar eclipse when the Earth is farthest from the Sun and the Moon is closest to the Earth is seven and a half minutes.
Discover More
The term eclipse is also used to refer to a general decline or temporary obscurity: “After taking the title last year, the team has gone into an eclipse this season.”
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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eclipsernoun
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noneclipsedadjective
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noneclipsingadjective
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uneclipsedadjective
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uneclipsingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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eclipsesimple
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eclipsessimple
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have eclipsedperfect
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has eclipsedperfect
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am eclipsingprogressive
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are eclipsingprogressive
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is eclipsingprogressive
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have been eclipsingperfect progressive
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has been eclipsingperfect progressive
Past
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eclipsedsimple
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had eclipsedperfect
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was eclipsingprogressive
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were eclipsingprogressive
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had been eclipsingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eclipse
1250–1300; Middle English eclips ( e ), clips < Anglo-French, Old French eclipse < Latin eclīpsis < Greek ékleipsis, equivalent to ekleíp ( ein ) to leave out, forsake, fail to appear ( see ec-) + -sis -sis
Explanation
Have you ever seen an eclipse? That's when the sun, earth or moon cross paths and cover each other up temporarily. A solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks our view of the sun for a bit. A lunar eclipse happens when the moon is on one side of the earth and the sun directly opposite, so the moon disappears. A TV eclipse, perhaps the most serious of all, is when your dad walks in at the most crucial part of the movie and blocks your view of the TV while he lectures about taking out the trash.
Vocabulary lists containing eclipse
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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Eclipse Vocabulary
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ACT Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Phillips 66’s refining earnings are also expected to eclipse its past record.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Another called secondary eclipse, which is the method we used for this study, is when the planet passes behind its star, and we can measure how much light is lost.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Her daughter would arrive 13 days late, she wrote, “in the face of a solar eclipse and meteor shower,” which places the child’s birth date around Aug. 12.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
It comes just weeks after millions of people witnessed the most significant solar eclipse in nearly 30 years.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
In a matter of months, however, Albus’s own fame had begun to eclipse that of his father.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
The $22.6 billion deal far eclipses the French industrial group’s $11 billion purchase of Aveva in 2023 and its $3.1 billion agreement to acquire Cognite in June, the analysts add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Romans saw meteor showers and eclipses as divine auguries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Such events are sometimes informally called "Martian solar eclipses."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
Eclipse chasers can travel around the world to be wowed by the spectacle of three total solar eclipses in the next couple of years.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
It was not in keeping with the prejudices of the time to explain the phases or eclipses of the Moon by the relative geometry of the Earth, the Moon and the self-luminous Sun.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
On the other hand, yields on highly rated U.S. corporate bonds eclipsed 6% this week for the first time since 2023.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
Critics say those savings are overblown and will be quickly eclipsed by higher fuel costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Hunt said the responses to Sweeney's advert have eclipsed the controversy.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
His younger brother is Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who two years ago eclipsed Peyton Manning for the most yardage in NFL history through a player’s first five seasons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
It was a space eclipsed by a century-old maple tree that dropped mountains of leaves every year from October to December.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Tuesday’s mixed data, combined with inflation and trade figures released earlier this month, suggest that a K-shaped growth path is becoming further entrenched in the world’s second-largest economy, with external demand significantly eclipsing domestic demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
During the 14-year tenure of Ryan Lance, ConocoPhillips reached a market capitalization of $140 billion, eclipsing British oil giant BP.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The deal would set a new transfer record for an English player, eclipsing the £116m fee Manchester City agreed with Nottingham Forest for another Three Lions midfielder in Elliot Anderson earlier this summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
It now has more than 22 million followers on its Instagram account, eclipsing the BJP's by 13 million followers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Frankie stood with his back to the oil lamp, eclipsing its glow.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
