supermoon

noun

su·​per·​moon ˈsü-pər-ˌmün 

plural supermoons

: a full moon occurring when the moon is at or near the closest point in its orbit

A supermoon … occurs when the moon is full within 24 hours of being at its closest point to the Earth in its orbit.

—Kaleigh Rogers

Visible supermoons appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than full moons that occur at the farthest point in the moon's orbit.

—Karen Hao

As the first and only supermoon of 2017 rose high into the sky this Sunday (Dec. 3), astrophotographers seized the opportunity to shoot the moon in all its bigger-than-usual glory.

—Hanneke Weitering

Examples of supermoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Moon In 2025 June's full moon is the sixth of 12 full moons in 2025, three of which will be supermoons (in October, November and December). —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025

Additionally, the upcoming full moon on April 27 will be a supermoon, so stargazers will get an even better view of the full moon then. —Athena Sobhan, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025

One of the werewolves is Wesley’s neighbor, a survivalist blowhard who prepares for supermoon night by painting his face with red, white, and blue warpaint. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 7 Dec. 2024

This is the last of this year's four supermoons, when the moon appears bigger and brighter than normal, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. —Gabriella Rudy, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supermoon

• afternoon
• forenoon
• honeymoon
• laocoon
• opportune
• pantaloon
• picayune
• tablespoon
• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon