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\ i-ˈklips 
\
\Definition of eclipse
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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
eclipse
verbeclipsed; eclipsing
Definition of eclipse (Entry 2 of 2)
Illustration of eclipse
Noun
eclipse 1a: E earth, M moon in solar eclipse, P penumbra, S sun, U umbra
In the meaning defined above
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Synonyms & Antonyms for eclipse
Synonyms: Noun
- decadence,
- declension,
- declination,
- decline,
- degeneracy,
- degeneration,
- degradation,
- dégringolade,
- descent,
- deterioration,
- devolution,
- downfall,
- downgrade,
- ebb,
- fall
Synonyms: Verb
- beat,
- better,
- exceed,
- excel,
- outclass,
- outdistance,
- outdo,
- outgun,
- outmatch,
- outshine,
- outstrip,
- overtop,
- surpass,
- top,
- tower (over),
- transcend
Antonyms: Noun
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Some accounts suggested astrological causes, blaming the plague on the conjunction of certain planets, eclipses, or the sighting of a comet.
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National Geographic, "Indeed, historians have argued that the Black Death paved the way for a new wave of opportunity, creativity, and wealth from which would flourish the art, culture, and ideas of the Renaissance, and the beginnings of a recognizably modern Europe.," 23 Apr. 2020 The Madras Airport used a temporary air traffic control service to handle the 412 planes that were scheduled to fly in and out for the eclipse — the most traffic ever at the airport.
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oregonlive, "Federal report details cause of 2017 solar eclipse plane crash near Madras," 30 Dec. 2019 Maximum eclipse will occur at about 6:40 UTC, 12:10 p.m. local time, in Uttarakhand, India.
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Jay Bennett, Smithsonian Magazine, "Ten Celestial Events You Don’t Want to Miss in 2020," 14 Jan. 2020 The eclipse on Friday will occur when the moon moves into Earth's penumbra, or outer shadow.
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Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Wolf moon eclipse kicks off the first of 13 full moons in 2020," 10 Jan. 2020 The eclipse occurs when the moon moves through the outer part of Earth’s shadow.
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Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, "The first full moon of 2020 - known as the wolf moon - will rise Friday night," 9 Jan. 2020 Watch a Total Solar Eclipse The next full eclipse visible from the U.S. won’t be until 2024.
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Megan Michelson, Outside Online, "7 Adventures to Start the New Decade with a Bang," 17 Dec. 2019 A few weeks before the accident, though, a Sunday in early January offered me the basketball equivalent of a full eclipse of the moon: a hoops doubleheader.
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Michael Powell, New York Times, "The Lakers, the Clippers and a Rare Fight for L.A. Basketball Primacy," 21 Feb. 2020 How to watch online The bad news for most in the U.S. is that partial eclipse will occur while the moon is below the horizon.
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Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Wolf Moon lunar eclipse: First full moon of the decade is today; how to watch online," 10 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The death toll in Massachusetts eclipsed 2,000 on Wednesday, doubling from just a week earlier.
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Tim Darnell, ajc, "New unemployment numbers coming Thursday morning," 23 Apr. 2020 American consumers have voted with their feet: TJX, which also owns Home Goods as well as businesses in Canada and Europe, eclipsed Macy's by sales in 2014.
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Phil Wahba, Fortune, "How T.J. Maxx and Ross will (eventually) come out of the coronavirus crisis even stronger," 20 Apr. 2020 On Thursday, the worldwide caseload eclipsed 1 million.
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Erin B. Logan, Los Angeles Times, "Coronavirus claims 1,000 U.S. lives in a single day," 4 Apr. 2020 On that same day, Louisiana for the first time eclipsed California in total deaths, with 34 dead versus 27.
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NBC News, "Death tolls in California and Louisiana hint at the urgency to 'flatten the curve'," 31 Mar. 2020 According to the latest reading of the Johns Hopkins University tracker, U.S. deaths caused from COVID-19 eclipsed over 1,000 people on Thursday, with over a quarter of those deaths occurring in New York.
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Anthony Leonardi, Washington Examiner, "Coronavirus death toll in US surpasses 1,000," 26 Mar. 2020 In that game, Jones eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau.
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Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati.com, "Radford star Carlik Jones, former Aiken HS standout, enters transfer portal, per reports," 25 Mar. 2020 Akins eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the win.
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Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan high school basketball: Top performers from Feb. 4," 5 Feb. 2020 Three months later, Warren briefly eclipsed Biden in a number of national polls, and, two months after that, Buttigieg emerged as a top-tier candidate.
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Sue Halpern, The New Yorker, "The Neuroscience of Picking a Presidential Candidate," 3 Feb. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eclipse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about eclipse
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Helium: This Word Brought to You by a...
Helium: This Word Brought to You by a Solar Eclipse
And by the Sun, with some help from Greek.
Dictionary Entries near eclipse
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for eclipse
Last Updated
17 May 2020
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Eclipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eclipse. Accessed 28 May. 2020.
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More Definitions for eclipse
eclipse
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of eclipse
(Entry 1 of 2)
: an occasion when the sun looks like it is completely or partially covered with a dark circle because the moon is between the sun and the Earth
: an occasion when the moon looks like it is completely or partially covered with a dark circle because the Earth's shadow is on it
: a loss of power, success, popularity, etc.
eclipse
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of eclipse (Entry 2 of 2)
: to cause an eclipse of (the sun or moon)
: to make (something) less important or popular
: to do or be much better than (someone or something)
See the full definition for eclipse in the English Language Learners Dictionary
eclipse
noun\ i-ˈklips \
\Kids Definition of eclipse
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a complete or partial hiding of the sun caused by the moon's passing between the sun and the earth
2 : a darkening of the moon caused by its entering the shadow of the earth
3 : the hiding of any heavenly body by another
eclipse
verbeclipsed; eclipsing
Kids Definition of eclipse (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to cause an eclipse of
The sun was eclipsed by the moon.
2 : to be or do much better than : outshine The racer's time eclipsed the old record.
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Time Traveler for eclipse
The first known use of eclipse was in the 13th century
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