eclipse

American  

[ih-klips] / ɪˈklɪps /

noun

• eclipses
  plural

1. Astronomy.

   1. 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.

   2. a similar phenomenon with respect to any other planet and either its satellite or the sun.

   3. the partial or complete interception of the light of one component of a binary star by the other.

2. any obscuration of light.

3. a reduction or loss of splendor, status, reputation, etc..

   Scandal caused the eclipse of his career.

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verb (used with object)

• eclipses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• eclipsed,
  past participle,  past
• eclipsing
  present participle

1. to cause to undergo eclipse.

   The moon eclipsed the sun.

2. to make less outstanding or important by comparison; surpass.

   a soprano whose singing eclipsed that of her rivals.

eclipse British  

/ ɪˈklɪps /

noun

1. 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

2. the period of time during which such a phenomenon occurs

3. any dimming or obstruction of light

4. a loss of importance, power, fame, etc, esp through overshadowing by another

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verb

1. to cause an eclipse of

2. to cast a shadow upon; darken; obscure

3. to overshadow or surpass in importance, power, etc

eclipse Scientific  

/ ĭ-klĭps′ /

1. 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.

2. ◆ 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.

3. ◆ 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.

4. ◆ 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.

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eclipse Cultural  

1. In astronomy, the blocking out of light from one object by the intervention of another object. The most dramatic eclipses visible from the Earth are eclipses of the sun (when sunlight is blocked by the moon) and eclipses of the moon (when sunlight on its way to the moon is blocked by the Earth).

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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

• eclipser
  noun
• noneclipsed
  adjective
• noneclipsing
  adjective
• uneclipsed
  adjective
• uneclipsing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• eclipses
  plural

Participles

• eclipsing
  present
• eclipsed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• eclipse
  simple
• eclipses
  simple
• have eclipsed
  perfect
• has eclipsed
  perfect
• am eclipsing
  progressive
• are eclipsing
  progressive
• is eclipsing
  progressive
• have been eclipsing
  perfect progressive
• has been eclipsing
  perfect progressive

Past

• eclipsed
  simple
• had eclipsed
  perfect
• was eclipsing
  progressive
• were eclipsing
  progressive
• had been eclipsing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will eclipse
  simple
• will have eclipsed
  perfect
• will be eclipsing
  progressive
• will have been eclipsing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eclipse eclipses eclipsed eclipsing

People across the South West gathered to watch a rare solar eclipse on Wednesday evening.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Commander Dave Lee, Royal Navy Parachute Display Team, spent the event parachuting into Pendennis Castle at the beginning of the eclipse.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

His op-ed reminded me of going to Nantucket on March 7, 1970, for a total eclipse visible only on that island.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

A tavern’s open door to my right revealed a line of patrons perched atop barstools, their backs to the open door, watching a TV showing the eclipse nearing totality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

I used to tell people that I once stared too long at a solar eclipse.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Such events are sometimes informally called "Martian solar eclipses."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

While he has seen three previous eclipses "every single one is different, especially this one as it is the biggest solar eclipse to hit the UK until 2090," he added.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The Spanish government has implemented a “special security plan” ahead of the three major eclipses observable from its territory between now and January 2028 to manage the impact of crowds on public safety and services.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Throughout human history eclipses have stirred amazement, fear and reverence, as they appear to momentarily halt the normal course of nature.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Werner’s favorite is one about light: eclipses and sundials, auroras and wavelengths.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

The metal has eclipsed iron ore as the biggest earner for BHP -- generating more than half of the group's operating profit for the first time.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

People also flocked to Salford Quays, and tourists at Blackpool Pleasure Beach broke off to watch as the moon slowly eclipsed the sun.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Nationally, measles cases have nearly eclipsed last year’s total already and the country is poised to hit its highest case level since the late 1980s and early ’90s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

These events have both eclipsed interest in Nazi crimes and invited comparisons between the Holocaust and these newer conflicts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The dazzle of this fictive childhood—full of swimming pools and orange groves and dissolute, charming show-biz parents—has all but eclipsed the drab original.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

LA28 expects to sell 14 million tickets between the Olympics and Paralympics, which would break a sales record, eclipsing the 12 million tickets sold for Paris 2024 Games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 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

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

SpaceX’s market capitalization reached $2.8 trillion on Tuesday, eclipsing e-commerce giant Amazon, and made SpaceX the fifth largest public company.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

And, sweeter yet, it was a new world and Olympic record, eclipsing California’s 1928 time of 6:03.2.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• exceed
• outdo
• outshine
• overrun
• transcend