half-moon
noun
the moon when, at either quadrature, half its disk is illuminated.
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half-moon
1 American
[haf-moon, hahf-]
/ ˈhæfˈmun, ˈhɑf- /
noun
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the moon when, at either quadrature, half its disk is illuminated.
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the phase of the moon at this time.
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something having the shape of a half-moon or crescent.
Half Moon
2
American
noun
half-moon
British
noun
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the moon at first or last quarter when half its face is illuminated
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the time at which a half-moon occurs
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something shaped like a half-moon
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( as modifier )
half-moon spectacles
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anatomy a nontechnical name for lunula
Etymology
Origin of half-moon
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425
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.
And then there are the Mayer’s new front doors, sporting curved, half-moon glass reminiscent of a classic theater.
From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025
To this day, when the pool is drained, the hotel retouches the lines, refreshing Hockney’s iconic blue half-moon marks every year or so.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2025
Speaking on a crisp Friday morning at a lodge of an Italian-American fraternal group in the Des Moines suburbs, she addressed a packed room of mostly older voters arranged around her in a half-moon.
From Slate • Jan. 14, 2024
The largest planet in the solar system will dominate the early evening sky on January 18, appearing beside a glowing half-moon.
From National Geographic • Dec. 6, 2023
On the other end was a half-moon of light with faces crowding the opening.
From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
