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 biggest supermoon since 2019 rose earlier this week and will continue to shine bright, which could potentially outshine the aurora. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2025

This lunar event will be the second of three back-to-back supermoons this year. —Gina Park, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025

The close timing makes tonight's Beaver Moon a supermoon and the largest apparent full moon of 2025. —Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 5 Nov. 2025

The Beaver full moon on November 5, 2025, will be the largest and brightest supermoon of the year. —Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Nov. 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