moment

noun mo·ment \ ˈmō-mənt \

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: moment in a Sentence

Definition of moment

1 a : 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

2 a : 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

6 a : 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

7 a : the mean (see ⁴mean 1b) of the nth powers of the deviations (see deviation 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 b) of a random variable from a fixed value

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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 of moment from the Web

There were a few tearful moments, but overall, the feeling in the theatre was wonderstruck.

— lauren sanchez, Vogue, "The Legendary Robin Williams was Missed and Reminisced at the New York City Premiere for Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind," 14 July 2018
Then comes perhaps the most symbolic moment for the president: a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle.

— alexander smith /, NBC News, "Trump in Britain: President faces dozens of protests across U.K.," 13 July 2018
The pumps had held the water at bay until the last moments, when one of the industrial-sized hoses burst, pouring water back into the cave.

— shibani mahtani, Washington Post, "‘Time is running out’: Inside the treacherous rescue of boys trapped in a Thai cave," 13 July 2018
Tonight: Enjoy every moment, especially as you are surrounded by friends.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Horoscope," 13 July 2018
The moment — a few millionths of a second — triggered months of observation and analysis, all described in a pair of papers just published in the journal Science.

— mark johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Blazing a trail: UW professor's dream leads to breakthrough in identifying origin of cosmic rays," 12 July 2018
The moment when the much maligned coach compelled even his most ardent of dissenters to doff their caps in respect?

— SI.com, "Why Didier Deschamps Is Still a Problem Regardless of Leading France to the World Cup Final," 12 July 2018
Yet the quiet, reflective moments deepen this profile produced by Alex Gibney and Shirel Kozak and directed by Marina Zenovich.

— hal boedeker, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Robin Williams: HBO's remarkable tribute," 12 July 2018
Up until those final moments, the resistance to Gilead within the series was mostly whispered about and in the extreme background of the story.

— todd vanderwerff, Vox, "The Handmaid’s Tale season 2 was masterful. But it may have broken the show.," 11 July 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of moment

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin momentum movement, particle sufficient to turn the scales, moment, from movēre to move

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

moment Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.