shadow meaning and definition

SHADOW noun

Definition of shadow (noun)

1. shade within clear boundaries
2. an unilluminated area
   • "he moved off into the darkness"
   • synonyms: dark, darkness
3. something existing in perception only
   • "a ghostly apparition at midnight"
   • synonyms: apparition, fantasm, phantasm, phantasma, phantom
4. a premonition of something adverse
   • "a shadow over his happiness"
5. an indication that something has been present
   • "there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim"; "a tincture of condescension"
   • synonyms: tincture, trace, vestige
6. refuge from danger or observation
   • "he felt secure in his father's shadow"
7. a dominating and pervasive presence
   • "he received little recognition working in the shadow of his father"
8. a spy employed to follow someone and report their movements
   • synonyms: shadower, tail
9. an inseparable companion
   • "the poor child was his mother's shadow"

SHADOW verb

Definition of shadow (verb)

1. follow, usually without the person's knowledge
   • "The police are shadowing her"
2. cast a shadow over
   • synonyms: shade, shade off
3. make appear small by comparison
   • "This year's debt dwarfs that of last year"
   • synonyms: dwarf, overshadow