solar eclipse

noun

: an eclipse of the sun by the moon see eclipse illustration

Examples of solar eclipse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The eclipse is part of a total solar eclipse happening in eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 19 July 2026 Humans are cursed to become inured to anything that persists long enough, and even the staggering beauty of a total solar eclipse may begin to fade after, say, an hour. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 July 2026 Complete solar eclipses are rare and viewing conditions affect visibility. — Catherine Tansey, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 July 2026 Although the total solar eclipse will be total only from Greenland, Iceland and Spain, Europe and North America will still get a partial eclipse. — Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for solar eclipse

Word History

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of solar eclipse was in 1602

Rhymes for solar eclipse

See All Rhymes for solar eclipse

Browse Nearby Words

solar diagonal
solar eclipse
solar ecliptic limit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Solar eclipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar%20eclipse. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

solar eclipse

noun
: an eclipse of the sun by the moon

More from Merriam-Webster on solar eclipse

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about solar eclipse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of itinerant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All