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.

There’s a lot happening—from America’s birthday bash to the World Cup to a total eclipse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

The total eclipse will occur from 12:37 a.m. to 6:25 a.m. on Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

I read as much as I could about photographing a total eclipse.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 14, 2024

Monday's total eclipse was captured in a timelapse video ahead of Cleveland Guardians' game against Chicago White Sox in MLB.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024

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