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

Saturday night will be mostly clear, perfect viewing weather for the first supermoon of 2026. —Lauren Bostwick, CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026

Tonight there will be a supermoon called a Wolf Moon. —Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026

When the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than usual, the cosmic combo is called a supermoon. —Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026

January's supermoon will be the fourth and final supermoon to occur in a row, with the three previous ones happening in October, November, and December. —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 2 Jan. 2026

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