Noun
an eclipse of the sun
The popularity of television led to the eclipse of the radio drama.
an artist whose reputation has long been in eclipseVerb
The sun was partially eclipsed by the moon.
Train travel was eclipsed by the growth of commercial airlines.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other 2024 event that’s out of this world with our space and astronomy calendar.—Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 3 June 2024 Wearing paper glasses, senators burst out of the State House around 3 p.m. to view what could be seen of the eclipse from Annapolis, their heads angled toward the disappearing sun and mouths agape as the sky grew darker.—Sam Janesch, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2024
Verb
When these images are exhibited in a fine art context, their size is so massive, the sheer aesthetics of the imagery threaten to eclipse the act of documentation.—Lucy McKeon, New York Times, 3 June 2024 Methadone is seen as a critical component of the U.S. response to the addiction crisis, especially as opioid deaths have eclipsed 80,000 annually.—Lev Facher, STAT, 28 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for eclipse
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eclipse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
borrowed from Middle English eclipse, clips, borrowed from Anglo-French eclyps, eclypse, borrowed from Latin eclīpsis, borrowed from Greek ékleipsis "abandonment, failure, cessation, obscuring of a celestial body by another," from ekleípein "to leave out, abandon, cease, die, be obscured (of a celestial body)" (from ek-ec- + leípein "to leave, quit, be missing") + -sis-sis — more at delinquent entry 2
Verb
Middle English eclypsen, clypsen, derivative of eclipseeclipse entry 1, probably after Medieval Latin eclīpsāre or Middle French esclipser
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