# shadow

/ˈʃæˌdoʊ/ (US) · /ʃˈædəʊ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shadow
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. dark shape from blocked light

noun · CEFR A2

a dark shape on a surface that happens when an object blocks the light.

For teachers: a dark area or shape produced by an object coming between rays of light and a surface.

- The tall trees cast long shadows across the grass as the sun went down.
- The cyclist noticed his own shadow stretching far ahead of him on the pavement during the late afternoon ride.

### 2. a tiny amount

noun · CEFR B2

a very small amount of something.

For teachers: the slightest trace or a very small degree of a quality or feeling.

- There was not a shadow of a doubt that he was telling the truth.
- The prosecutor argued that there was not a shadow of evidence to support the defendant's alibi for the night in question.

### 3. sadness or bad influence

noun · CEFR B2

a feeling of sadness or a bad influence that spoils a situation.

For teachers: an unhappy or gloomy influence that diminishes the quality of an event or period of time.

- The news of the accident cast a shadow over the whole party.
- The sudden economic downturn cast a long shadow over the administration's otherwise successful first year in office.

### 4. to follow secretly

verb · CEFR B2

to follow someone closely and secretly to watch where they go.

For teachers: to follow and observe someone closely and typically secretly.

- The private detective shadowed the suspect for three days.
- Intelligence officers shadowed the diplomat throughout the conference, documenting every unofficial meeting he attended.

### 5. to follow for training

verb · CEFR B2

to follow someone at their job to learn how to do it.

For teachers: to accompany a person during their work day to gain experience or understanding of a profession.

- The medical student spent the week shadowing a senior surgeon.
- New recruits are required to shadow an experienced manager for a month before they are allowed to handle client accounts independently.

### 6. opposition government

adjective · CEFR C1 · British English · Formal

describing a group of politicians in the opposition who act like the real government.

For teachers: relating to the main opposition party's counterparts to the government's cabinet ministers.

- The shadow health minister criticised the government's new hospital plan.
- The Shadow Cabinet met early this morning to draft a formal response to the Chancellor's latest budget proposal.

### 7. programming/variables

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to hide a piece of data by using the same name for a new one.

For teachers: to make an identifier inaccessible by declaring another with the same name in a more local scope.

- Be careful not to shadow the global variable inside your function.
- The compiler issued a warning because the local variable shadowed a field in the outer class, potentially leading to logic errors.

## Examples

- The tall tree casts a long shadow across the grass.
- The child spent the afternoon chasing her own shadow on the pavement.
- The candidate struggled to emerge from the shadow of her predecessor, whose long and influential career still dominated the party's internal policy discussions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.