moonwalk
Americannoun
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an exploratory walk by an astronaut on the surface of the moon.
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a dance move in which the dancer appears to slide backwards involuntarily while making the motions of walking forward, an illusion achieved by rising onto the ball of one foot, which bears the weight, while sliding the other foot backwards in a flat position, and alternating this step between feet.
verb (used without object)
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(of an astronaut) to walk on the surface of the moon.
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to perform the moonwalk dance move.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of moonwalk
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He “never got to moonwalk down Hollywood Boulevard,” as he puts it, in a video call from his home in Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, the actress Sara Paxton.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Betty Campbell even celebrated her 90th birthday by donning her spacesuit, moon boots and helmet and doing a moonwalk.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
The tires on my 2002 Grand Am had fresher treads than a moonwalk joke does today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2024
I decided to ham it up, doing my best Michael Jackson moonwalk, pumicing my bare feet as I dragged them awkwardly across concrete.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2023
“Like it would be like one of those inflatable moonwalk machines, except for always.”
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
