moment

noun

mo·ment | \ ˈmō-mənt

Definition of moment

1a : a minute portion or point of time : instant a moment of dreadful suspense— Graham Greene

b : a comparatively brief period of time moments of solitude

2a : present time at the moment she is at work on her fourth novel — Holiday

b : a time of excellence or conspicuousness there's … some deliciously funny moments, but most of it is numbingly subtle— Jess Cagle

3 : importance in influence or effect decisions of moment must be made by our government— L. H. Evans

4 obsolete : a cause or motive of action

5 : a stage in historical or logical development a document of one moment in the history of thought and sensibility in the nineteenth century— T. S. Eliot

6a : tendency or measure of tendency to produce motion especially about a point or axis

b : the product of quantity (such as a force) and the distance to a particular axis or point

7a : the mean (see mean entry 4 sense 1b) of the nth powers of the deviations (see deviation sense b) of the observed values in a set of statistical data from a fixed value

b : the expected value of a power of the deviation (see deviation sense b) of a random variable from a fixed value

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about moment

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Choose the Right Synonym for moment

importance, consequence, moment, weight, significance mean a quality or aspect having great worth or significance. importance implies a value judgment of the superior worth or influence of something or someone. a region with no cities of importance consequence generally implies importance because of probable or possible effects. the style you choose is of little consequence moment implies conspicuous or self-evident consequence. a decision of great moment weight implies a judgment of the immediate relative importance of something. the argument carried no weight with the judge significance implies a quality or character that should mark a thing as important but that is not self-evident and may or may not be recognized. the treaty's significance

Examples of moment in a Sentence

The sun was shining. Moments later, it began to rain. It was a moment before she realized what had happened. She stopped for a moment and peeked into the window. It should only take a moment to fix the problem. I'm very busy and I don't have a moment to spare. One moment it was sunny; the next it was pouring rain. The moment for us to act has arrived. War seemed unavoidable at that moment in history. She knew exactly the right moment to ask for a raise. We had an exciting vacation. There was never a dull moment.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Ghana international has said that his focus, at the moment, remains purely on this summer's Africa Cup of Nations but has not ruled out a possible move. — SI.com, "Thomas Partey Would 'Like' Premier League Move Amid Interest From Man Utd & Arsenal," 5 June 2019 And that’s the debate that is going on in the tech world at the moment and will continue to do so. — James Hibberd, EW.com, "Black Mirror creator weighs in on social networks banning users for ‘hateful’ content," 5 June 2019 A Level 2 Evacuation Notice — which means to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice — is in place for residents of Beverly, Schawana and Wanapum Village. — Christine Clarridge, The Seattle Times, "Grant County residents flee fast-growing wildfire," 4 June 2019 The policy rate at the moment is in a range of just 2.25% to 2.5%, meaning that the Fed has less room than usual to cut rates to stimulate growth. — Washington Post, "Powell hints Fed will cut rates if needed over trade wars," 4 June 2019 According to multiple sources, Darius Garland is not willing to workout for any team at the moment. — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers begin pre-draft workouts, could be eyeing second-round pick," 4 June 2019 At the moment, the Beavers are in a holding pattern. — oregonlive.com, "Adley Rutschman becomes the man of the moment, Pat Casey’s decision is TBA: Diamonds & Dust," 4 June 2019 But at the moment, Republicans lack an equivalent service. — Ben Mitchell, CBS News, "The revolution will be online: How Democrats are trying to catch up to Trump," 3 June 2019 What’s less clear, at least at the moment, is whether past Windows 10 Store exclusives will come to Steam as well. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Every future Xbox game Microsoft makes for PC will launch on Steam, too," 30 May 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'moment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.