eclipse

1 of 2

noun

i-ˈklips

Synonyms of eclipse next

: the total or partial obscuring of one celestial body by another

: the passing into the shadow of a celestial body compare occultation, transit

: a falling into obscurity or decline

also : the state of being eclipsed

his reputation has fallen into eclipse

: the state of being in eclipse plumage

eclipse

2 of 2

verb

eclipsed; eclipsing

transitive verb

: to cause an eclipse of: such as

: obscure, darken

: to reduce in importance or repute

: surpass

her score eclipsed the old record

Example Sentences

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 eclipse Verb The sun was partially eclipsed by the moon. Train travel was eclipsed by the growth of commercial airlines.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

See the eclipse from roughly 9 a.m. local time to 11:45 a.m. —

Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 4 May 2023 That being said, in astrology, eclipses can bring about unexpected events and shocking revelations. —

Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 1 May 2023 The Scorpio eclipse strikes at 1:34 pm EST on May 5 (3:34am AEST on May 6), but its energy will be felt as soon as the week begins. —

Dossé-via, refinery29.com, 30 Apr. 2023 Arizona residents will not be able to witness this eclipse, but nearby states like New Mexico and Utah can see it. —

Andrea Ramirez, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2023 Geminids: December 13-14 • Ursids: December 21-22 Solar and lunar eclipses The most recent eclipse was a rare annular-total eclipse that occurred on Wednesday but was only visible to parts of Australia, East Timor and Indonesia in its narrow path across the Indian Ocean. —

Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 21 Apr. 2023 Per the outlet, the temperature fell 9 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit when the eclipse happened. —

Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 20 Apr. 2023 This year, a faint penumbral lunar eclipse will be discernible from parts of Australia, Africa, and Asia on May 5, with a partial eclipse visible in areas of the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia on October 28. —

Jill Gleeson, Country Living, 19 Apr. 2023 Stages of the eclipse Partiality occurs when the moon only partially obscures the sun. —

Matthew Cappucci, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Apr. 2023

Verb

Riggins placed third in the 1600-meter run in 4:41.42, eclipsing the 4:41.71 mark set by Torrey Pines’ Alli Billmeyer in 2011. —

Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2023 Even if an undercount, the figure eclipses the last official number given by Moscow in September, when Shoigu claimed that 5,937 soldiers had died. —

Mary Ilyushina, Washington Post, 24 May 2023 The number of Americans who will fly this summer could eclipse the prepandemic high from 2019. —

Niraj Chokshi, New York Times, 22 May 2023 As previously reported, the team's price tag may eclipse $1 billion — the most expensive sale in the league's 106-year history. —

Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 12 May 2023 That figure would eclipse the total number of similar arrests in the past two years combined - a stunning increase in a county that previously had only a handful of jury trials. —

Arelis R. Hernández, Anchorage Daily News, 11 May 2023 Connor Cronin, Marblehead — The senior had a career week with five goals and three assists in a 16-4 win over Danvers and followed up with a 10-point outing (6 goals, 4 assists) in a 19-4 win over Gloucester, eclipsing 200 career points. —

Zachary Lyons, BostonGlobe.com, 10 May 2023 New York just became the first state to ban gas hookups in new buildings, eclipsing California in a key climate-policy arena. —

Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023 The album, initially released in October 2011, was the first Swift album to eclipse one million sales in its debut week, according to Billboard. —

Ty Roush, Forbes, 6 May 2023 See More

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