moon

1 of 2

noun

1
a
often capitalized : the earth's natural satellite (see satellite sense 1a) that shines by the sun's reflected light, revolves about the earth from west to east in about 29¹/₂ days with reference to the sun or about 27¹/₃ days with reference to the stars, and has a diameter of 2160 miles (3475 kilometers), a mean distance from the earth of about 238,900 miles (384,400 kilometers), and a mass about one eightieth that of the earth
usually used with the
b
: one complete moon cycle consisting of four phases (see phase entry 1 sense 1)
c
: satellite sense 1
specifically : a natural satellite of a planet
the moons of Jupiter
2
: an indefinite usually extended period of time
a labor of many moons
3
: moonlight
keep out of the moon or it may turn your headH. R. Haggard
4
: something that resembles a moon: such as
a
: a highly translucent (see translucent sense 1) spot on old porcelain
b
: lunule
c
slang : naked buttocks
5
: something impossible or inaccessible
reach for the moon
moonlike adjective

moon

2 of 2

verb

mooned; mooning; moons

transitive verb

1
: to spend in idle reverie : dream
used with away
mooned the afternoon away
2
slang : to expose one's naked buttocks to
One of the boys mooned the crowd.

intransitive verb

: to spend time in idle reverie : behave abstractedly
fans mooning over movie stars
Phrases
over the moon
: very pleased : in high spirits

Examples of moon in a Sentence

Noun The telescope makes the craters on the surface of the moon incredibly clear. the orbit of the Moon around the Earth Europa and Io are both moons of Jupiter. a planet orbited by one moon Verb One of the boys mooned the crowd. One of the boys mooned at the crowd.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For my fishing, sometimes it’s based around moon phases, or when different species are good to chase. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 20 Oct. 2024 Four planets will be visible during the 2024 hunter's moon Space.com reports four planets will be visible to the naked eye during Thursday's hunter's moon: Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 18 Oct. 2024
Verb
Which is to say this candidate was mooning Levine the entire conversation. Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 11 July 2024 Everyone processes grief differently — Kate Beckinsale, in particular, recently channeled her mourning emotions into a mooning escapade following the death of her beloved cat, Clive. EW.com, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for moon 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English mone, from Old English mōna; akin to Old High German māno moon, Latin mensis month, Greek mēn month, mēnē moon

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1836, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of moon was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near moon

Cite this Entry

“Moon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moon. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

moon

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: the earth's natural satellite that shines by reflecting light from the sun and revolves about the earth in about 29½ days
2
: an unspecified and usually long period of time
took many moons to complete
3
moonless
-ləs
adjective

moon

2 of 2 verb
: to spend time daydreaming

Medical Definition

moon

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on moon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!