eclipse

1 of 2

noun

i-ˈklips 

1

a

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

b

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

2

: a falling into obscurity or decline

also : the state of being eclipsed

his reputation has fallen into eclipse

3

: the state of being in eclipse plumage

Illustration of eclipse

• E earth
• M moon in solar eclipse
• P penumbra
• S sun
• U umbra

eclipse

2 of 2

verb

eclipsed; eclipsing

transitive verb

: to cause an eclipse of: such as

a

: obscure, darken

b

: to reduce in importance or repute

c

: surpass

her score eclipsed the old record

Synonyms

Noun

• decadence
• declension
• declination
• decline
• degeneracy
• degeneration
• degradation
• dégringolade
• descent
• deterioration
• devolution
• downfall
• downgrade
• ebb
• fall

Verb

• beat
• better
• exceed
• excel
• outclass
• outdistance
• outdo
• outgun
• outmatch
• outshine
• outstrip
• overtop
• surpass
• top
• tower (over)
• transcend

Examples of eclipse in a Sentence

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

The longest eclipse lasted five hours, said the Royal Observatory of Belgium’s Andrei Zhukov, the lead scientist for the orbiting corona-observing telescope. —Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025

Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

Verb

But the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office this week pegged that growth at just 0.5 percent of GDP over a decade, which higher borrowing costs would eclipse to the tune of $2.8 trillion. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 20 June 2025

For the first time, streaming services have eclipsed traditional television in overall U.S. TV viewership, according to a Nielsen report released Tuesday. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025

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 eclipse eclipse entry 1, probably after Medieval Latin eclīpsāre or Middle French esclipser

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing eclipse

• annular eclipse
• eclipse plumage
• into eclipse
• lunar eclipse
• solar eclipse
• total eclipse

Rhymes for eclipse

• airships
• airstrips
• clerkships
• ellipse
• equips
• filmstrips
• gunships
• judgeships
• lightships
• outstrips
• parsnips
• spaceships

Kids Definition

eclipse

1 of 2 noun

i-ˈklips 

1

a

: the total or partial hiding of a planet, star, or moon by another

b

: the passing into the shadow of a planet, star, or moon

2

: a falling into disgrace or out of use or public favor

eclipse

2 of 2 verb

eclipsed; eclipsing

1

: to cause an eclipse of

2

a

: to reduce in importance

b

: to do or be much better than : outshine