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
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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:
Greene-Placentia, a former long-haul trucker, told the Times she didn't want the details of her alleged attack to overshadow her campaign platform centered on health care and affordability.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
She also expressed concern that the allegations might overshadow her messaging around affordability.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
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
“Exactly. I have always liked the notion that the American twins were actually a poltergeist phenomenon; certainly poltergeists can overshadow any more interesting manifestation. Bad ghosts drive out good.”
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
But history never overshadows the importance of a guest list, or a menu, or a catty social rivalry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
The unwelcome trajectory for mortgage rates overshadows some positive news for home buyers: the recovery in housing supply, which has been constrained over the past few years.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
"When you have two quarks produced, the problem is that, when the two quarks go in opposite directions, the one quark overshadows the wake of the second quark," Lee says.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Her illness can be fatal and I understand that, for the royal family, Mette-Marit's health overshadows everything.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
The Newton of rhetoric—the one person whose work in this department overshadows the whole history of the subject—was, of course, Aristotle.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
King Charles III begins a delicate tour of the Caribbean Tuesday, overshadowed by calls to apologise and pay reparations for the slave trade, which he has called the "darkest days" of British history.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
Hachimura filled a supporting role with the Lakers, where he was overshadowed by Reaves, Doncic and LeBron James.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
Meta’s stock declined as concerns over heavy spending on AI overshadowed the 26% increase in third-quarter revenue the company reported on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
The cost pressures overshadowed higher quarterly profit and revenue, and the announcement of a $20 billion share-buyback plan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
And she was so new to school that the rumors overshadowed everything else I knew about her.
From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
The French leader himself, perhaps wanting to avoid Le Pen further overshadowing his summit talks, did not take any questions from journalists in Brussels Thursday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
U.S. stocks fell Thursday as a fresh wave of selling hit semiconductor stocks, overshadowing record earnings from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and strong results from UnitedHealth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 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
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
I was supposed to stand out without overshadowing others, to blend in but not fade away.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
