overshadow

verb

over·​shad·​ow ˌō-vər-ˈsha-(ˌ)dō 

overshadowed; overshadowing; overshadows

transitive verb

1

: to cast a shadow over

2

: to exceed in importance : outweigh

Synonyms

• becloud
• bedim
• befog
• blacken
• blear
• blur
• cloud
• darken
• dim
• dislimn
• fog
• fuzz (up)
• haze
• mist
• obscure
• overcast
• overcloud
• shadow
• shroud

Examples of overshadow in a Sentence

The pitcher's outstanding performance should not overshadow the achievements of the rest of the team.

large trees overshadow the yard and darken the house for much of the day

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of the hesitancy toward vaccines can be attributed to a swarm of misinformation on social media and the internet, which, in many instances, has overshadowed public health campaigns. —Sabrina Malhi The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024

Hawks said relief from record-high homicides has been overshadowed by concerns about juvenile crime. —Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 29 Nov. 2024

Has the power of Chrysler (now Stellantis), the muscle of Ford, and the luxury of Cadillac really been overshadowed by Chinese upstarts? —Sarwant Singh, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024

The focus would move over to Andrew, the service itself would be completely overshadowed and that's exactly what happened. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

overshadow

verb

over·​shad·​ow -ˈshad-ō 

1

: to cast a shadow over : darken

2

: to become more important than : outweigh

the win overshadowed the player's injury