moonlight

American  

[moon-lahyt] / ˈmunˌlaɪt /

noun

1. the light of the moon.

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adjective

1. pertaining to moonlight.

2. illuminated by moonlight.

3. occurring by moonlight, or at night.

verb (used without object)

moonlights, present (3rd person singular) moonlighted, past participle, past moonlighting present participle

1. to work at an additional job after one's regular, full-time employment, as at night.

moonlight British  

/ ˈmuːnˌlaɪt /

noun

1. Also called: moonshine.  light from the sun received on earth after reflection by the moon

2. (modifier) illuminated by the moon

   a moonlight walk

3. short for moonlight flit

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verb

1. informal (intr) to work at a secondary job, esp at night, and often illegitimately

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• moonlighter
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have moonlighted
  perfect
• has moonlighted
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are moonlighting
  progressive
• have been moonlighting
  perfect progressive
• is moonlighting
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been moonlighting
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• moonlighting
  participle
• am moonlighting
  progressive 1st person singular
• moonlights
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had moonlighted
  perfect
• was moonlighting
  progressive singular
• had been moonlighting
  perfect progressive
• moonlighted
  simple
• moonlighted
  participle
• were moonlighting
  progressive plural

Future

• will moonlight
  simple
• will have moonlighted
  perfect
• will have been moonlighting
  perfect progressive
• will be moonlighting
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of moonlight

1325–75; 1950–55 moonlight for def. 5; Middle English monelight

Explanation

Moonlight is literally the light we can see shining from the moon, but to moonlight is to work a second job. Get it? You have to work in the moonlight because there aren’t enough hours in the day. Moonlight is the reflection of the sun off the moon's surface — a clear sky and a full moon provide brilliant moonlight. Smugglers hate moonlight. If you moonlight, you work a second job, and it doesn’t have to be at night. If your history teacher also works as a mascot for a baseball team, he moonlights as a dancing bear. As a verb, it used to mean “commit crimes at night,” but now just means “to work a second job.”

Example Sentences

That meant some reflected moonlight from clouds in the lower atmosphere was present, but not enough to overwhelm the much fainter airglow signal.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026

Their rapid run up has also at times forced state insurance commissioners to moonlight as forensic accountants, teasing out company relationships.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

The audience rehashed its hunches, they circled potential suspects, they stared at a static image of a horrific crime scene, awash in twinkling moonlight.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

I’m not a hate-watcher of the show or its star — I, too, wish to moonlight as a domestic doyenne.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

It floated in the air, glittering in the moonlight like bits of gold dust.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff