total eclipse

noun

|Updated on: 3 Aug 2018

Definition of total eclipse

: an eclipse in which one celestial body is completely obscured by the shadow or body of another

Recent Examples of total eclipse from the Web

That total eclipse lasted for 1 hour and 16 minutes, while the partial eclipse lasted for 3 hours and 23 minutes.

— Southern Living, "July's Blood Moon Will Be the Longest Lunar Eclipse in 100 Years," 11 July 2018
Troland has seen two total eclipses, which can be predicted decades in advance.

— morgan watkins, The Courier-Journal, "Why the Great American Eclipse a really big deal in Kentucky," 2 Sep. 2016
The last total eclipse visible in the United States occurred on January 31, 2018.

— Southern Living, "July's Blood Moon Will Be the Longest Lunar Eclipse in 100 Years," 11 July 2018
The total eclipse will start at 9:30 p.m. local time on July 27 and will stay completely red until 11:30 p.m. local time.

— gabby raymond, Time, "These Are the Best Places to See the Lunar Eclipse on July 27," 10 July 2018
The total eclipse will take place from 7:30 p.m. UTC (3:30 p.m. Eastern) until 9:13 p.m. UTC (5:13 p.m. Eastern).

— temi adebowale, Popular Mechanics, "Here's How To See the Longest Lunar Eclipse of This Century," 26 June 2018
The total eclipse should become visible at around 3:06 p.m.

— andrew clark, Indianapolis Star, "IMS plans total solar eclipse watch event — six years in advance," 8 Apr. 2018
Mary Ann Gerth/Courier-Journal/USA TODAY Network The Courier-Journal's photo journalists were spread out Monday to cover the partial solar eclipse in Louisville and the total eclipse in Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

— terry lipshetz, The Courier-Journal, "ICYMI: Best images from the 'Great American Eclipse'," 22 Aug. 2017
The total eclipse will last for just a bit less than four minutes, and the eclipse should disappear around 4:23 p.m.

— andrew clark, Indianapolis Star, "IMS plans total solar eclipse watch event — six years in advance," 8 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'total eclipse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.