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

This October, a full supermoon has graced our skies, washing out the Draconid meteor shower. —Big Think, 13 Oct. 2025

Like October, November's full moon also happens to be a supermoon, when the moon will be slightly closer and brighter to Earth. —Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Oct. 2025

The October lunar spectacle will be followed by three more supermoons in November, December and January 2026. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025

This moon will be the first of three back-to-back supermoons this year. —Gina Park, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 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