Illustration of eclipse
- E earth
- M moon in solar eclipse
- P penumbra
- S sun
- U umbra
1
a
: 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
3
: the state of being in eclipse plumage
eclipsed; eclipsing
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The people-watching nearly eclipses watching the games.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2026
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
30 June 2026
Musk is the richest man in the world – with his net worth eclipsing $1 trillion after the SpaceX IPO – and people want a piece of that track record of success.
—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for eclipse
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Noun
Also increasing has been interest in eclipses, meteor showers and other celestial events.
—
Jeffrey Steele,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
The people-watching nearly eclipses watching the games.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 June 2026
Verb
Book deals regularly eclipse Supreme Court justices' $300,000 government salaries.
—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
30 June 2026
Musk is the richest man in the world – with his net worth eclipsing $1 trillion after the SpaceX IPO – and people want a piece of that track record of success.
—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for eclipse
Cite this Entry
“Eclipse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eclipse. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eclipse
1 of 2 noun1
a
: the total or partial hiding of a planet, star, or moon by another
b
: the passing into the shadow of a planet, star, or moon
2
: a falling into disgrace or out of use or public favor
eclipse
2 of 2 verb
eclipsed; eclipsing
1
: to cause an eclipse of
2
a
: to reduce in importance
b
: to do or be much better than : outshine
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