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

In addition to 13 full moons, there are three supermoons, two lunar eclipses and a rare blue moon. —John Tufts, IndyStar, 7 Jan. 2026

Read on to see jaw-dropping images of the first full moon and supermoon of 2026. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 5 Jan. 2026

Stargazers won't have another opportunity to see a supermoon until the end of the year. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 5 Jan. 2026

LightRocket via Getty Images The first supermoon of the year is also the last in a series of four consecutive supermoons — meaning the next one will not be in the night sky until November 24, 2026. —Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 3 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