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

Look out for four more full moons this year, with supermoons — full moons that appear while the moon is at its closest to Earth — occurring in October, November and December. —Gina Park, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025

Better yet, this particular lunation doubles as a supermoon, which amplifies this celestial spectacle's astrological and astronomical significance. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025

The first supermoon is the October 6 Hunter’s Moon, which will appear larger and more vivid than normal. —Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2025

Earthlings were unable to see the other major planetary phenomenon of the previous week as the closest new supermoon of the year occurred on Sunday, April 27. —James Powel, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025

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