eclipse 1 of 2

noun

i-ˈklips How to pronounce eclipse (audio)
Definition of eclipsenext
as in declination
a change to a lower state or level the eclipse of the town from a grand seaside resort to a tacky tourist trap

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

eclipse

2 of 2

verb

as in to surpass
to be greater, better, or stronger than the brilliant young pianist now eclipsed even his own mentor in musical artistry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of eclipse
Noun
During the eclipse, Earth moves between the moon and the sun and casts a shadow onto the moon, according to NASA. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 The ballad shot to the top of the charts in Britain and the United States and has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017, 2024 and most recently during last week’s solar eclipse. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Verb
Eight of the 11 fair days in 2025 eclipsed the 100,000 attendance mark, according to the Iowa State Fair. — Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 19 Aug. 2026 In the first 10 months of the 2026 fiscal year, interest costs have eclipsed Medicare health care outlays to become the second-largest line-item in the federal budget, behind the Social Security pension system. — David Lawder, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for eclipse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eclipse
  1. declination
  2. surpass
  3. deterioration
  4. exceed
  5. decline
  6. top
  7. degradation
  8. better
Noun
  • The declinations came as the DOJ reassigned and cut prosecutors working on environmental cases.
    — Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Federal regulations require special counsels to provide the attorney general with a report that explain prosecution or declination decisions once their work is concluded.
    — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of declination
Verb
  • Reuters — The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 2,325 people, government data showed on Sunday, surpassing the toll from the 2018-2020 outbreak to become the deadliest in the country’s history.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The state has added an impressive amount of solar power and battery energy storage in recent years, surpassing more than 21,000 megawatts of battery capacity, the largest such fleet in the nation, according to the Energy Commission.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of surpass
Noun
  • Hillsborough had come to embody all that was wrong with Sheffield Wednesday in recent times, a symbol of underinvestment and deterioration.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Initially, Cao assumed that the deterioration of particular proteins and protein networks was responsible for aging, in line with the prevailing model.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of deterioration
Verb
  • Fourteen people were on board, including him — exceeding the vessel’s maximum capacity of 10 people — according to the complaint, which noted that Hernandez did not know the boat’s maximum capacity.
    — Joe Kottke, NBC news, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Since Palisades Village reopened on Saturday, owner and developer Rick Caruso said business is booming, noting that sales and foot traffic have exceeded pre-wildfire levels by three times.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of exceed
Noun
  • Bullish activity fell sharply, down about 50%, Meng pointed out, compared with a roughly 35% decline for bearish ETFs.
    — Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Progressive cognitive decline that interferes with everyday functioning warrants further evaluation.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of decline
Verb
  • Yields around the globe also rose Tuesday, with Germany's benchmark 10-year bund yield hitting a 15-year high, while Japan's 10-year bond yield also topped the 30-year high seen earlier this year.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 19 Aug. 2026
  • It's topped with a drizzle of yellow vanilla icing and served with raspberry compote for a sweet twist.
    — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of top
Noun
  • Many lines of research align with the theory that aging is a direct result of decay — the inevitable degradation of molecules (including proteins or DNA), organelles, cells, or whole organs — from external assault or inexorable breakdown.
    — Ingrid Wickelgren, Quanta Magazine, 14 Aug. 2026
  • By spreading stress via polymer chain rearrangement instead of allowing polymer bonds to break, the DNGEs continually reduce the risk of sudden snapping or fatigue-degradation.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of degradation
Verb
  • His revered mentor, José Antonio Abreu, who founded the educational program in 1975 with the conviction that learning music can, in bettering lives, lead to profound social change.
    — Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Asking for feedback is only one step of the process in bettering your organization.
    — Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of better

Browse Nearby Words

eclectic
eclipse
eclipsed
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Cite this Entry

“Eclipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eclipse. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on eclipse

Nglish: Translation of eclipse for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about eclipse

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