man in the moon

noun

1. a fancied semblance of a human face in the disk of the full moon, so perceived because of variations in the moon's topography.

man in the moon

noun

1. the moon when considered to resemble the face of a man

2. (in folklore and nursery rhyme) a character dwelling in the moon

Word History and Origins

Origin of man in the moon¹

Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325

Example Sentences

This explains why some people say they see a Man in the Moon or a Moon rabbit — what do you spot?

Read more on Space Scoop

"Happy Christmas," said the card that came with it, "and love from the Man in the Moon."

Read more on BBC

Chalamet plays the Man in the Moon, who turns from supportive to disturbed as the story goes on.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The brightness difference between these two materials forms the familiar "man in the moon" face or "rabbit picking rice" image to the naked eye.

Read more on Salon

I can clearly see the Man in the Moon surrounded by all those craters created eons ago by a bombardment of meteoroids.

Read more on Literature