overshadow
Americanverb (used with object)
-
overshadows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
overshadowed,
past participle, past
-
overshadowing
present participle
-
to be more important or significant by comparison.
For years he overshadowed his brother.
-
to cast a shadow over; cover with shadows, clouds, darkness, etc.; darken or obscure.
clouds overshadowing the moon.
-
to make sad or hang heavily over; cast a pall on.
a disappointment that overshadowed their last years.
-
Archaic. to shelter or protect.
verb
-
to render insignificant or less important in comparison
-
to cast a shadow or gloom over
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overshadowsimple
-
overshadowssimple
-
have overshadowedperfect
-
has overshadowedperfect
-
am overshadowingprogressive
-
are overshadowingprogressive
-
is overshadowingprogressive
-
have been overshadowingperfect progressive
-
has been overshadowingperfect progressive
Past
-
overshadowedsimple
-
had overshadowedperfect
-
was overshadowingprogressive
-
were overshadowingprogressive
-
had been overshadowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overshadow
before 900; Middle English overshadewen, Old English ofersceadwian. See over-, shadow
Explanation
To overshadow is to appear more important or larger than something else. Your sister's tendency to interrupt and speak loudly sometimes overshadows what a caring person she is. You can use this verb in a very literal way, to mean "cast a shadow over something smaller," like the enormous oak tree in your yard that overshadows your small house. It's also possible to figuratively overshadow, like when your worry about next week's math test overshadows the happiness you feel waking up to a snow day. One person can overshadow another too, when they appear more interesting, successful, or attractive.
Vocabulary lists containing overshadow
You Call This Democracy?
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 2
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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:
Concerns over Yinson’s high gearing and offshore exposure could overshadow the potential benefits of greater scale and talent for MISC’s offshore business, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Anthropic’s investors are reportedly expecting the artificial-intelligence lab to go public next quarter — and overshadow SpaceX’s initial public offering.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
This was quite the moment to elevate the sun-kissed event above the DeChambeau controversy which had threatened to overshadow the week.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
However the reports published by a media consortium, led by Forbidden Stories, about the Pegasus spyware threatened to overshadow his visit.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
Plus, Hoover never wanted his men to overshadow him.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
What’s more, the histrionic grandeur she imbues the scene with overshadows the dramatic revelation that follows: the reading of the Delphic oracle’s judgment that she is indeed innocent, and Leontes is “a jealous tyrant.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Read: Rocket Lab’s stock slides as yet another rocket delay overshadows ‘record year’
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026
While El Barbry's income is growing, Willment explains the success of streamers who have built audiences "overshadows" the fact that "thousands, if not millions of people" are earning nothing, trying to break through.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
MongoDB plunges as disappointing guidance overshadows better-than-expected fourth-quarter results.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
“The American public got a slight taste of the fear which overshadows the people of Europe constantly.”
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
"Phobos' gravity field is strongly overshadowed by Mars' gravity field," says Haser.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
But the debut was overshadowed when manosphere influencer Andrew Tate, who the IBA had brought in to host, was arrested by U.S.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Oil’s retreat overshadowed a firming of August consumer prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
She also pointed to comments aimed at female DJs on social media, where discussions about their music can be overshadowed by comments about their appearance.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The news, however, that overshadowed everything else during that June was the activity of Robert E. Lee.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
Leveraged ETFs and their siblings, inverse funds, are risky, and their frenzied proliferation that kicked into overdrive 2025 may be overshadowing their big jump in closures this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
To be sure, the surge in the size and number of monster deals could be overshadowing other money-raising efforts from smaller companies and investment by smaller funds, industry experts said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Growing expectations of Fed interest-rate hikes are overshadowing signs of progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Bullingham also made clear that the FA was keen to avoid the scenario of uncertainty over its manager's future overshadowing the World Cup.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
How could a sixteen-year-old boy hope to compete with such overshadowing rivals?
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
