—shadow /ˈʃæd.əʊ/ aep /-oʊ/
adjective [before noun] UK
► F0 used in the title of important politicians in the main opposition party (= the party not in government): » the Shadow Foreign Secretary» the Shadow CabinetThesaurus+: ↑Government ministers and civil servantsnoun (DARKNESS)
B1 [C] an area of darkness, caused by light being blocked by something:
» The children were playing, jumping on each other's shadows.» Jamie followed his mother around all day like a shadow.» The sun shone through the leaves, casting/throwing shadows on the lawn.» This corner of the room is always in shadow (= slight darkness).Thesaurus+: ↑Darkness and becoming darkthe shadows [plural]F0 an area of darkness in which people and things cannot be seen:
» Someone jumped out of the shadows and grabbed my handbag.Thesaurus+: ↑Darkness and becoming darkF0 [C] a small dark area of skin under your eye:
» She put on some make-up to cover the dark shadows under her eyes.Thesaurus+: ↑The eye and surrounding area , ↑Eyesight, glasses and lenses , ↑Using the eyesbe in/under the shadow of sthF0 to be very close to a larger building or place:
» They live in a charming house in the shadow of the cathedral.Thesaurus+: ↑Closeness in distance and time , ↑About to happenF0 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:
» We are all living under the shadow of war.Thesaurus+: ↑Unsafe and insecureWord Builder:–Nouns: shadow–Adjectives: shadowy–Verbs: shadow, overshadow• • •
Extra 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.noun (FOLLOW)
F0 [C] someone who follows another person everywhere:
» "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).Thesaurus+: ↑Spying and espionageF0 [C] a person, especially in industry, who follows someone else while they are at work in order to learn about that person's job
Thesaurus+: ↑Employees and colleaguesnoun (SMALL AMOUNT)
F0 [S] a small amount:
» It is a tragic story, but there is a shadow of hope.» There isn't a shadow of doubt that you've made the right decision.Thesaurus+: ↑Words meaning small pieces and amountsbeyond/without a shadow of a doubtC2 If something is true beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is no doubt that it is true:
» This is without a shadow of a doubt the best film I've seen all year.Thesaurus+: ↑Certainty , ↑Confidence and self-assuranceverb [T] (DARKNESS) ↑Verb Endings for shadow
► F0 to produce a shadow: » We came across a glade shadowed by large trees.Thesaurus+: ↑Darkness and becoming darkWord Builder:–Nouns: shadow–Adjectives: shadowy–Verbs: shadow, overshadowverb [T] (FOLLOW) ↑Verb Endings for shadow
F0 to follow closely:
» The police think that the robbers shadowed their victims for days before the crime.» The euro has closely shadowed the dollar.Thesaurus+: ↑PursuingF0 to follow someone else while they are at work in order to learn about that person's job:
» Your first week in the job will be spent shadowing one of our more experienced employees.Thesaurus+: ↑Knowing and learning