Definition of moment
1a : a minute portion or point of time : instant a moment of dreadful suspense — Graham Greeneb : a comparatively brief period of time moments of solitude
2a : present time at the moment she is at work on her fourth novel — Holidayb : 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 axisb : the product of quantity (such as a force) and the distance to a particular axis or point
7a : 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 valueb : 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
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People have long looked to nature to get away from something else and reset, to experience a moment of peacefulness or awe.
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Here are some memorable moments from Wednesday’s action.
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With some tense moments & a few bouts of levity, Round 3 concludes.
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A ship sails out onto the stage in the show's first moments, then cleverly gets pulled in half and turned around to become small buildings on the dock of Bangkok.
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James didn't speak to reporters on Saturday either, leaving Love to serve as the team's unofficial spokesman as the sports world inched closer to a matchup that seemed destined from the moment last season's Finals ended.
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Ferrer always liked to ask prospective prosecutors about their greatest accomplishment or proudest moment.
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What books in your opinion best explain the current moment in America?
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Yet Moore's moment came in easier times than Connery's—his predecessor's '60s world was a harder, grimmer, grittier Britain still living with the aftermath of World War II.
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
Synonym Discussion of moment
MOMENT Defined for English Language Learners
moment
playDefinition of moment for English Language Learners
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: a very short period of time
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: a particular time : a precise point in time
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: the present time
MOMENT Defined for Kids
moment
playDefinition of moment for Students
1 : a very brief time A shooting star lasts only a moment.
2 : present time I'm busy at the moment.
3 : importance We met to discuss a subject of great moment.
Learn More about moment
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for moment Spanish Central: Translation of moment Nglish: Translation of moment for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of moment for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about moment
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