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eye shadow

American  
Or eyeshadow

noun

  • eye shadows
    plural
  1. a cosmetic coloring material applied to the eyelids.


eye shadow British  

noun

  1. a coloured cosmetic put around the eyes so as to enhance their colour or shape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of eye shadow

First recorded in 1925–30

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:

“We started to see a lot more intensive makeup looks, with contouring and heavy eye shadow application.”

From MarketWatch Feb. 7, 2026

Sephora gave shoppers free rein to schmear on lipstick and play with eye shadow.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 8, 2025

You’ll find Amber workshopping her stories at a cafe in Leimert Park, with a sheer, subtle eye shadow that creates a glow around her almond eyes.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 17, 2025

She said L'Oréal objected on the basis it owned the Urban Decay make-up brand, which has a range of eye shadow palettes called Naked.

From BBC Jul. 25, 2025

They pay attention to shades of eye shadow and online games and which angle makes them look best in photos.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin

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