o ‧ ver ‧ shad ‧ ow /ˌəʊvəˈʃædəʊ $ ˌoʊvərˈʃædoʊ/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ shadow , ↑ overshadow ; adjective : ↑ shadowy , ↑ shadow ; noun : ↑ shadow ]
1 . to make someone or something else seem less important:
Her interest in politics began to overshadow her desire to be a poet.
The achievement of the men’s team was overshadowed by the continuing success of the women’s team.
2 . to make an occasion or period of time less enjoyable by making people feel sad or worried:
The threat of war overshadowed the summer of 1939.
3 . if a tall building, mountain etc overshadows a place, it is very close to it and much taller than it:
a dark valley overshadowed by towering peaks