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
Kaleigh RogersVisible supermoons appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than full moons that occur at the farthest point in the moon's orbit.—Karen Hao
Karen HaoAs 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
Hanneke WeiteringExamples of supermoon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The super blue moon on August 30 will be the closest of all the full supermoons this year at only 222,043 miles away, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac, versus the average 238,855 miles.
—Terri Robertson, Country Living, 28 Aug. 2023
The first of two supermoons this month rising above Madrid.
—Joseph De Avila, WSJ, 1 Aug. 2023
In honor of the total solar eclipse on Friday, April 8 and the upcoming supermoon on Monday, August 19, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is celebrating 2024’s celestial events with a debut otherworldly collection of ice cream flavors.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
More full moons this year Of the 12 full moons in 2024, the September and October lunar events will be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
Full Blue Supermoon August will close the month with a grand finale: a full blue supermoon.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2023
With a full supermoon coming up August 1, our magnificent moon is top of mind.
—Terri Robertson, Country Living, 31 July 2023
Full moons Of the 12 full moons in 2024, September and October’s lunar events will be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
Scientists and onlookers marveled at the first of two supermoons in the month of August, which was on display Tuesday, with photos of the phenomenon quickly spreading online.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 2 Aug. 2023
Terri Robertson, Country Living, 28 Aug. 2023
The first of two supermoons this month rising above Madrid.
—Joseph De Avila, WSJ, 1 Aug. 2023
In honor of the total solar eclipse on Friday, April 8 and the upcoming supermoon on Monday, August 19, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is celebrating 2024’s celestial events with a debut otherworldly collection of ice cream flavors.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
More full moons this year Of the 12 full moons in 2024, the September and October lunar events will be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky.
—Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024
Full Blue Supermoon August will close the month with a grand finale: a full blue supermoon.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2023
With a full supermoon coming up August 1, our magnificent moon is top of mind.
—Terri Robertson, Country Living, 31 July 2023
Full moons Of the 12 full moons in 2024, September and October’s lunar events will be considered supermoons, according to EarthSky.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
Scientists and onlookers marveled at the first of two supermoons in the month of August, which was on display Tuesday, with photos of the phenomenon quickly spreading online.
—Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 2 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'supermoon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near supermoon
Cite this Entry
“Supermoon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supermoon. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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