eclipse

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   An occasion when one heavenly body, such as the moon or sun, blocks the light from another as seen from Earth.

   Grammar: Countable: 'a solar eclipse', 'two eclipses'. Often used with 'solar' or 'lunar'.

   Patterns

   • solar eclipse
   • lunar eclipse
   • during an eclipse
   • total eclipse

   We watched the solar eclipse through special glasses.

   A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon.

   The next total eclipse of the sun will be visible in our region in 2026.

2. 2verbtransitive

   To make someone or something seem less important or less impressive by comparison.

   Grammar: Takes an object: 'Her success eclipsed his.' Often used in the passive: 'He was eclipsed by his brother.'

   Patterns

   • eclipse someone/something
   • be eclipsed by someone/something

   The new player quickly eclipsed all the older stars on the team.

   Her performance eclipsed everything else at the concert.

   His early achievements were eclipsed by his later, greater success.

Word forms

Common combinations

solar eclipse

A solar eclipse happens when the moon covers the sun.

total eclipse

During a total eclipse, day turns into night for a few minutes.

eclipse a record

She eclipsed the world record by two seconds.

be eclipsed by

The old method was soon eclipsed by a better one.

Synonyms and how they differ

overshadow

Very close in the figurative sense, but 'overshadow' often suggests making someone feel less important, while 'eclipse' suggests surpassing them completely.

surpass

Focuses on doing better than someone; 'eclipse' can also mean making them seem unimportant by comparison.

Opposites

Word family

ecliptic noun

The path the sun appears to follow across the sky over a year.

Commonly confused: eclipse or ellipse?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “eclipse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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