shadows

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of shadow.

   Dark shadows gathered in the corners of the empty room.

   The mountains threw deep shadows over the valley below.

   Note

   A regular plural formed with -s, and the same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb, so shadows can name things or an action. The plural suits the countable uses: the separate dark shapes that objects cast, or areas screened from light. When shadow means gloom in general it is uncountable, so a scene can sit in shadow without any plural at all.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of shadow.

   She shadows the lead nurse during her first week on the ward.

   The bodyguard shadows the senator wherever he goes.

   Note

   The present-tense form covers two very different kinds of following. A detective who shadows a suspect stays out of sight, while a trainee who shadows a senior colleague is there openly, learning the job. Most uses take a direct object (a hedge shadows the lawn). The job-learning sense can also stand alone without one: he shadows for a week before starting.

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