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total eclipse

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Definition of total eclipse

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

Examples of total eclipse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And the year ends with a total eclipse of the sun on December 4. — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Quadrantid meteor shower peaks this weekend and other celestial events in 2021," 2 Jan. 2021 Folks living in the Mountain Time Zone will see most of it while the West Coast residents will see a total eclipse. — Dean Regas, USA TODAY, "Lunar eclipses, meteor showers: Look out for these astronomical highlights coming in 2021," 31 Dec. 2020 The total eclipse, the only one in 2020, will be visible from Chile and the northern Patagonia region of Argentina, and as a partial solar eclipse in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. — James Rogers, Fox News, "Total solar eclipse set to cut a path across parts of South America," 14 Dec. 2020 Mentrek will also preview upcoming eclipses, including the more dramatic, near total eclipse in Nov. 2021. — Joan Rusek, cleveland, "Do not miss a taste of a ‘real’ Thanksgiving thanks to Chagrin Valley Little Theatre: Valley Views," 16 Nov. 2020 Remember when a total eclipse swept across the US from coast to coast in August 2017? — Ashley Strickland, CNN, "Solar eclipse 2020: How and when to watch the June annular eclipse," 19 June 2020 In a total eclipse, the corona, the cloud of hot gas that forms the sun’s outer atmosphere, can still be seen as a bright halo around the moon. — The Economist, "A “ring of fire” solar eclipse will darken the skies this weekend," 19 June 2020 But while the United States got front row access to the total eclipse in 2017, this astrological rarity will be taking place on the other side of the pond with visibility in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. — Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "The Last Solar Eclipse of the Decade Will Happen the Day After Christmas," 23 Dec. 2019 Late in the afternoon of Tuesday, July 2, a rare total eclipse will completely block the sun over parts of South America. — Andrew Fazekas, National Geographic, "How to watch South America’s total eclipse from anywhere," 2 July 2019

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.

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First Known Use of total eclipse

1671, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for total eclipse

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The first known use of total eclipse was in 1671

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Last Updated

11 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Total eclipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/total%20eclipse. Accessed 15 Jan. 2021.

More from Merriam-Webster on total eclipse

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about total eclipse

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