26984 words

shadow

20 definitions • 29 examples
1
an area of darkness, caused by light being blocked by something:

Examples:

The children were playing, jumping on each other's shadows.
Jamie followed his mother around all day like a shadow.
cast/throw a shadow The sun shone through the leaves, casting/throwing shadows on the lawn.
in shadow This corner of the room is always in shadow (= slight darkness).
2
an area of darkness in which people and things cannot be seen:

Examples:

Someone jumped out of the shadows and grabbed my handbag.
3
a small dark area of skin under your eye:

Examples:

She put on some make-up to cover the dark shadows under her eyes.
4
to be very close to a larger building or place:

Examples:

His workshop was in the shadow of the great church of San Paolo Maggiore.
5
to be in a situation in which something unpleasant either seems likely to happen and to have a bad effect on your life, or is already having a bad effect on your life:

Examples:

be in/under the shadow of war We are all living under the shadow of war.
6

Examples:

It is a tragic story, but there is a shadow of hope.
shadow of doubt There isn't a shadow of doubt that you've made the right decision.
7
If something is true beyond a shadow of (a) doubt, there is no doubt that it is true:

Examples:

This is without a shadow of a doubt the best movie I've seen all year.
8
someone who follows another person everywhere:

Examples:

"I think we have a shadow on our tail," muttered the detective.
Ever since he was able to walk, Stephen has been his older brother's shadow (= has followed him and copied his actions).
9
a person who follows someone else while they are at work in order to learn about that person's job
10

Examples:

The police think that the robbers shadowed their victims for days before the crime.
The euro has closely shadowed the dollar.
11
to follow someone else while they are at work in order to learn about that person's job:

Examples:

Your first week in the job will be spent shadowing one of our more experienced employees.
12
to produce a shadow:

Examples:

We came across a glade shadowed by large trees.
13
to make a person unhappy or to make their life less happy:

Examples:

Mental illness had shadowed him for more than a decade.
14
used in the title of important politicians in the main opposition party (= the party not in government):

Examples:

the Shadow Foreign Secretary
the Shadow Cabinet
15
an area of darkness caused when light is blocked by something, usually in a shape similar to the object that is blocking the light:

Examples:

[ C ] Chloë kept jumping on Tyler’s shadow.
[ U ] This corner of the room is always in shadow.
[ C ] He was standing in the shadows (= a dark area).
16

Examples:

He saw a shadow of malice in her dark eyes.
Are you convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt?
17
to follow someone closely:

Examples:

Matsuoka was shadowed by a security officer.
18
to spend time with someone who is doing a particular job so that you can learn how to do it:

Examples:

All trainees are expected to spend a week shadowing an experienced manager.
19
to behave in the same way or move in the same direction as something else:

Examples:

The cost of goods and services will shadow the recent rise in oil prices.
20
in the UK, used to describe a leading member of Parliament whose party is not in power but who would be part of the cabinet (= people who are in charge of a department and make the main decisions) if their party were in power:

Examples:

the shadow Foreign Secretary

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