I. shad ‧ ow 1 S3 W2 /ˈʃædəʊ $ -doʊ/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ shadow , ↑ overshadow ; adjective : ↑ shadowy , ↑ shadow ; noun : ↑ shadow ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: sceaduw- , stem of sceadu ; ⇨ ↑ shade 1 ]
1 . DARK SHAPE [countable] the dark shape that someone or something makes on a surface when they are between that surface and the light:
the long dark shadow of an old oak tree
in the shadow of something
It was hot, and we decided to walk in the shadow of the wall (=along the wall, where its shadow would fall) .
2 . DARKNESS [uncountable] ( also shadows [plural] ) darkness caused by something preventing light from reaching a place
in shadow
The room was half in shadow.
in the shadows
In the shadows, something moved.
3 . BAD EFFECT/INFLUENCE [singular] the bad effect or influence that something has, which makes other things seem less enjoyable, attractive, or impressive
in/under the shadow of something
For years, people had been living under the shadow of communism.
cast a shadow over/on something (=make something seem less enjoyable, attractive, or impressive)
The events of September 11th cast a shadow over the celebrations.
4 . without/beyond a shadow of a doubt used to say that something is definitely true:
Without a shadow of a doubt, he’s the most talented player we have.
5 . in sb’s shadow if you are in someone’s shadow, they are much more famous and successful than you are:
Kate grew up in the shadow of her film star sister.
6 . be a shadow of your former self to be weaker, less powerful, or worse than you were before:
Lennox seemed like a shadow of his former self.
7 . shadows under your eyes small dark areas under your eyes that you have when you are very tired:
She looked pale, with deep shadows under her eyes.
8 . sb’s shadow someone who follows someone else everywhere they go
9 . afraid/frightened/scared etc of your own shadow easily frightened or very nervous
⇨ ↑ five o'clock shadow
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ cast/throw a shadow (=make it appear)
The building cast a shadow across the narrow street.
▪ a shadow falls somewhere (=appears on something)
The footsteps came closer, and a shadow fell across the table.
▪ the shadows lengthen (=get longer, as it gets later in the day)
Already the shadows were lengthening.
■ adjectives
▪ a dark/black shadow
She saw the dark shadow of a man in the doorway.
▪ a long shadow
Long shadows stretched across the grass from the apple trees.
▪ flickering shadows (=shadows that move about quickly)
Candles cast strange flickering shadows on the walls.
II. shadow 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ shadow , ↑ overshadow ; adjective : ↑ shadowy , ↑ shadow ; noun : ↑ shadow ]
1 . to follow someone closely in order to watch what they are doing:
Detectives shadowed him for weeks.
2 . [usually passive] literary to cover something with a shadow, or make it dark:
a narrow street which was shadowed by a huge Catholic church
III. shadow 3 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ shadow , ↑ overshadow ; adjective : ↑ shadowy , ↑ shadow ; noun : ↑ shadow ]
1 . Shadow Chancellor/Foreign Secretary etc the politician in the main opposition party in the British parliament who would become ↑ chancellor etc if their party was in government, and who is responsible for speaking on the same subjects
2 . Shadow Cabinet the group of politicians in the British parliament who would become ministers if their party was in government