shadownoun
uk/ˈʃæd.əʊ/us/ˈʃæd.oʊ/shadow noun (DARKNESS)
B1 [ C ] an area of darkness, caused by light being blocked by something:
an area of darkness in which people and things cannot be seen:
[ C ] a small dark area of skin under your eye:
to be very close to a larger building or place:
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:
More examples
- The setting sun cast long shadows across the lawn.
- Someone was lurking in the shadows.
- The shadows deepened as the evening drew on.
- The tree cast a shadow over his face.
- A shadow fell over her work and she looked up to see who was there.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Darkness & becoming dark
- black
- black sth out
- blackness
- blackout
- dark
- darken
- deepen
- dingy
- draw
- draw in
- dull
- gloomy
- half-light
- inky
- moonless
- pitch-dark
- shady
- silhouette
- Stygian
- the gloaming
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shadow noun (SMALL AMOUNT)
[ S ] a small amount:
C2 If something is true beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is no doubt that it is true:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Words meaning small pieces and amounts
- by a nose idiom
- chip
- clipping
- crumb
- dollop
- droplet
- flake
- germ
- jot
- nose
- pat
- patch
- pennyworth
- pinprick
- ray
- scattering
- scintilla
- shard
- shred
- trace
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shadow noun (FOLLOW)
[ C ] someone who follows another person everywhere:
[ C ] UK a person who follows someone else while they are at work in order to learn about that person's job
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
International relations: spying and espionage
- agent
- agent provocateur
- counter-espionage
- counterintelligence
- debug
- deep state
- intelligence
- MI5
- MI6
- on the inside idiom
- operative
- phone tapping
- scout
- snoop
- spook
- spy
- spy on sb/sth
- tail
- the CIA
- wired up
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Idiom(s)
shadowverb [ T ]
uk/ˈʃæd.əʊ/us/ˈʃæd.oʊ/shadow verb [ T ] (FOLLOW)
to follow closely:
to follow someone else while they are at work in order to learn about that person's job:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Pursuing
- be hot on sb's track/trail idiom
- be on sb's tail idiom
- bear
- bear down on sb/sth
- bring
- bring up the rear idiom
- convoy
- hot
- hound
- in hot pursuit idiom
- on the scent idiom
- pester
- pursue
- pursuer
- run
- scent
- stalk
- tag
- tailgate
- track
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shadow verb [ T ] (DARKNESS)
to produce a shadow:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Darkness & becoming dark
- black
- black sth out
- blackness
- blackout
- dark
- darken
- deepen
- dingy
- draw
- draw in
- dull
- gloomy
- half-light
- inky
- moonless
- pitch-dark
- shady
- silhouette
- Stygian
- the gloaming
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shadow verb [ T ] (SADNESS)
to make a person unhappy or to make their life less happy:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Making people sad, shocked and upset
- aback
- amiss
- appal
- be laughing on the other side of your face idiom
- bite
- haunt
- hit/touch a (raw) nerve idiom
- horrify
- hurt sb's feelings idiom
- hurtful
- laugh
- mess
- nose
- shake
- take sb aback
- tear 1
- tear sb apart
- tear sb's heart out idiom
- torture
- traumatize
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shadowadjective [ before noun ]
uk/ˈʃæd.əʊ/us/ˈʃæd.oʊ/UKused in the title of important politicians in the main opposition party (= the party not in government):
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Government ministers & civil servants
- aide
- am
- attorney general
- backbencher
- cabinet
- Chancellor of the Exchequer
- functionary
- government
- Home Secretary
- kitchen cabinet
- mandarin
- marshal
- private secretary
- public servant
- secretary
- Secretary of State
- senior statesman
- the Privy Council
- undersecretary
- Whitehall
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