shadow

verb

shadowed; shadowing; shadows

transitive verb

1

: to cast a shadow upon : cloud

2

a

: to follow especially secretly : trail

b

: to accompany and observe especially in a professional setting

3

: to represent or indicate obscurely or faintly

—often used with forth or out

4

archaic : shelter, protect

5

archaic : shade sense 5

6

obsolete : to shelter from the sun

7

obsolete : conceal

intransitive verb

1

: to pass gradually or by degrees

2

: to become overcast with or as if with shadows

shadower

ˈsha-dō-ər 

-də-wər

noun

Synonyms of shadow

• chase
• track
• pursue
• tail
• trace
• follow
• course
• escort

Examples of shadow in a Sentence

Police shadowed the suspect for several days.

She spent the night shadowing other waiters at the restaurant.

Recent Examples on the Web

Emmanuel co-stars as Detective Doran, an officer assigned to shadow Grimes, with Greenwood playing Henry Monroe, the therapist Grimes is mandated to see, whose sessions begin to reveal the detective’s troubled past. —Matt Grobar, Deadline, 1 June 2026

Simulate the itinerary, then shadow real, messy trips with human override before full autonomy. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

The truth is, unless Brunson wins a championship for New York, Hammon’s skepticism will continue to shadow him. —Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 May 2026

Giuliani has always been a mix of sunshine and shadow. —John Avlon, The Atlantic, 25 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Phrases Containing shadow

• a shadow of (a) doubt
• beyond a shadow of a doubt
• eye shadow
• five-o'clock shadow
• ghost/shadow of one's former self
• in the shadow of
• rain shadow
• shadow-ban
• shadow box
• shadow cabinet
• shadow dance
• shadow mask
• shadow play

Rhymes for shadow

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

shadow

1 of 2 noun

shad·​ow ˈshad-ō 

1

: shade within certain bounds

the valley was in shadow

2

: a reflected image (as in a mirror)

3

: shelter from danger or view

4

a

: an imperfect and faint representation

b

: an imitation of something

5

: the dark figure cast on a surface by a body that is between the surface and the light

my shadow stays with me

6

: phantom entry 1

7

plural : darkness caused by the setting of the sun

twilight shadows

8

: a shaded part of a picture

9

: a form from which the substance has departed : remnant, vestige

10

a

: an inseparable companion or follower

b

: a person who shadows as a spy or detective

11

: a very little bit : trace

not a shadow of a doubt

12

: a source of gloom or unhappiness

shadowless

-ləs 

adjective

shadowlike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

shadow

2 of 2 verb

1

: to cast a shadow on

2

: to follow especially secretly : trail

shadower

ˈshad-ə-wər 

noun

Medical Definition

shadow

1 of 2 noun

shad·​ow ˈshad-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w) 

1

a

: partial darkness or obscurity within a part of space from which rays from a source of light are cut off by an interposed opaque body

b

: a dark outline or image on an X-ray photograph where the X-rays have been blocked by a radiopaque mass (as a tumor)

2

: a colorless or slightly pigmented or stained body (as a degenerate cell or empty membrane) only faintly visible under the microscope

shadow

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to perform shadow-casting on

freeze-dried and shadowed myosin molecules