total eclipse

American

noun

an eclipse in which the surface of the eclipsed body is completely obscured.

total eclipse British

noun

an eclipse as seen from a particular area of the earth's surface where the eclipsed body is completely hidden Compare annular eclipse partial eclipse

"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

total eclipse Scientific

/ tōt′l /

An eclipse in which the entire surface of a celestial object is obscured.
See more at eclipse

Etymology

Origin of total eclipse

First recorded in 1665–75

Compare meaning

How does total-eclipse compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

annular vs. total eclipse

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:

total eclipse

All eyes were on the sky in Europe this week for the total eclipse.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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

But parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain experienced the complete darkness and spectacle of a total eclipse.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The total eclipse plunged a vast swathe of Spain from broad daylight into darkness Wednesday, drawing awed gasps and applause from spectators gathered in parks and cities across the country.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

But after photographs of the 1919 total eclipse showed that light bent as it passed the sun, the facts proved without a doubt that Einstein was right!

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023