Shadow I ˈʃædəʊ Cast Dark Deep Chasing Lay

• the children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows.
• as the curtains moved in the breeze, the shadows on the floor seemed to dance.
• the ship's sail cast a shadow on the water.
• the shadows lengthened as the sun went down.

shadow

1. the dark shape that somebody/something’s form makes on a surface, for example on the ground, when they are between the light and the surface
• SEE ALSO 5 o'clock shadow
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/5-o-clock-shadow
• The children were having fun, chasing each other's shadows.
• As the curtains moved in the breeze, the shadows on the floor seemed to dance.
• The ship's sail cast a shadow on the water.
• The shadows lengthened as the sun went down.
• The man's face is hidden in a deep shadow cast by his umbrella.
• They saw the shadow of a man pass by.
• He didn't want to cast a shadow on (= spoil) their happiness.

Extra Examples

• A dark shadow loomed over her.
• Deep shadows lay across the small clearing where they sat.
• The candles on the table threw huge flickering shadows against the wall.
• The shadows of the clouds passed over us.
• Use a desk light to produce a strong shadow.
• As he stood still I traced the outline of his shadow on the wall.
2. darkness in a place or on something, especially so that you cannot easily see who or what is there
• I thought I saw a figure standing in the shadows.
• His face was deep in shadow, turned away from her.
• A man in black emerged from the shadows.
• It had grown dark, and the shadows could be hiding anything.
• It's a spooky story about the monsters that lurk in the shadows.
• She shrank back into the shadows as the footsteps approached.
• ‘I'm right here,’ I said, stepping out of the shadows.

Extra Examples

• I could just make out a figure in the shadows.
• She shrank back into the shadows as the footsteps approached.
• Suddenly a huge figure loomed up out of the shadows.
• The house lay in dark shadow.
• The storm clouds threw the mountain peaks into dense shadow.
• She lay on the bed in a pool of shadow.
3. a very small amount of something
• SYNONYM hint
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/hint_2
• A shadow of a smile touched his mouth.
• She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt (= with no doubt at all) that he was lying.
4. the strong (often bad) influence of somebody/something
• The new leader wants to escape from the shadow of his predecessor.
• Bergman casts a long shadow over world cinema.
• These people have been living for years under the shadow of fear.
5. dark areas under somebody’s eyes, because they are tired, etc.
• She looked pale, with deep shadows under her eyes.
6. a person or an animal that follows somebody else all the time
7. a thing that is not real or possible to obtain
• You can't spend all your life chasing shadows.
8. to be very easily frightened; to be very nervous
9. to not have the strength, influence, etc. that you used to have
• When his career ended, he became a shadow of his former self.
10. very close to
• The new market is in the shadow of the City Hall.
11. when you say that somebody is in/under the shadow of another person, you mean that they do not receive as much attention as that person
• A younger son often lives in the shadow of his elder brother.

Word Origin

• Old English scead(u)we (noun), oblique case of sceadu (see shade), sceadwian ‘screen or shield from attack’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch schaduw and German Schatten (nouns), from an Indo-European root shared by Greek skotos ‘darkness’.