moon

[ moon ]

/ mun /

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noun

the earth's natural satellite, orbiting the earth at a mean distance of 238,857 miles (384,393 km) and having a diameter of 2,160 miles (3,476 km).

this body during a particular lunar month, or during a certain period of time, or at a certain point of time, regarded as a distinct object or entity.Compare full moon (def. 1), half-moon (def. 1), new moon (def. 1), waning moon, waxing moon.

a lunar month, or, in general, a month.

any planetary satellite: the moons of Jupiter.

something shaped like an orb or a crescent.

moonlight (def. 1).

a platyfish.

Slang. the buttocks, especially when bared.

verb (used without object)

to act or wander abstractedly or listlessly: You've been mooning about all day.

to sentimentalize or remember nostalgically: He spent the day mooning about his lost love.

to gaze dreamily or sentimentally at something or someone: They sat there mooning into each other's eyes.

Slang. to expose one's buttocks suddenly and publicly as a prank or gesture of disrespect.

verb (used with object)

to spend (time) idly: to moon the afternoon away.

to illuminate by or align against the moon.

Slang. to expose one's buttocks to as a prank or gesture of disrespect.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about moon

blue moon. See entry at blue moon.

over the moon. See entry at over the moon.

Origin of moon

before 900; Middle English mone,Old English mōna; cognate with Old High German māno,Old Norse māni,Gothic mena; akin to German Mond moon, Latin mēnsis month, Greek mḗnē moon, Sanskrit māsa moon, month

OTHER WORDS FROM moon

moon·er, nounmoon·less, adjective

Words nearby moon

moolah, mooli, mooloo, moolvie, Moomba, moon, moon bag, moonball, moonbeam, moon-blind, moon blindness

Other definitions for moon (2 of 2)

Moon

[ moon ]

/ mun /

noun

Sun Myung

[suhn myuhng], /sʌn myʌŋ/, 1920–2012, Korean religious leader: founder of the Unification Church.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use moon in a sentence

Next year, NASA will decide whether to go forward with one or more of the teams in the hopes of returning humans to the moon by 2024 as part of the Artemis program.
Here’s what NASA’s next moon lander may look like|Aaron Pressman|August 21, 2020|Fortune
“It’s safer for Hubble to observe sunlight reflected off the moon” than to look directly at the backlit Earth, explains Allison Youngblood, an astronomer at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Hubble watched a lunar eclipse to see Earth from an alien’s perspective|Maria Temming|August 17, 2020|Science News
Laplace wondered to what degree the moon gravitationally squeezes the air surrounding our planet, and he set out to analyze the types of waves that might emerge as a consequence.
Global Wave Discovery Ends 220-Year Search|Charlie Wood|August 13, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Meticulous instructions are submitted by astronomers ahead of time, and observations are loaded into a telescope “queue” that can take into account weather, moon phases and atmospheric conditions.
Social Distancing From the Stars|Emily Levesque|August 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Researchers searching for life on other planets or moons are bound to face the same problem.
What Is an Individual? Biology Seeks Clues in Information Theory.|Jordana Cepelewicz|July 16, 2020|Quanta Magazine
There is an expanded place-name index with more than 150,000 entries, and separate undersea, Moon, and Mars features.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What would it take to carry people to the Moon, or Mars, or an asteroid?
To Infinity and Beyond! NASA’s Orion Mission Blasts Off|Matthew R. Francis|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many Sailor Moon story arcs, in the comics and on television, end with the Sailor Senshi dying and being reborn.
‘Sailor Moon’ Is an Oasis for Superheroes Who Can Save the Universe in Heels|Rich Goldstein|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sailor Moon Crystal is expected to wrap up its initial storylines by the end of the year.
‘Sailor Moon’ Is an Oasis for Superheroes Who Can Save the Universe in Heels|Rich Goldstein|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still, Sailor Moon fans are always ravenous for new content, especially after such a long time away.
‘Sailor Moon’ Is an Oasis for Superheroes Who Can Save the Universe in Heels|Rich Goldstein|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The moon seemed to smile on him; the aurora appeared to dance with unwonted vigour, as if in glee; the very stars winked at him!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
It had been many a moon since we took different roads, but MacRae hadn't changed that I could see.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The moon rose on a terrified mob trudging or riding the forty miles of road between Meerut and the Mogul capital.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He had thought what it would be like to be a rich man, and bring a certain girl here for a moon of honey and roses.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
The storm, however, was over; the moon and stars were shining in a clear sky, and the aurora was dancing merrily.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for moon (1 of 3)

moon

/ (muːn) /

noun

(sometimes capital) the natural satellite of the earth. Diameter: 3476 km; mass: 7.35 × 10 22 kg; mean distance from earth: 384 400 km; periods of rotation and revolution: 27.32 daysRelated adjective: lunar

the face of the moon as it is seen during its revolution around the earth, esp at one of its phasesnew moon; full moon

any natural satellite of a planet

moonlight; moonshine

something resembling a moon

a month, esp a lunar one

once in a blue moon very seldom

over the moon informal extremely happy; ecstatic

reach for the moon to desire or attempt something unattainable or difficult to obtain

verb

(when tr, often foll by away; when intr, often foll by around) to be idle in a listless way, as if in love, or to idle (time) away

(intr) slang to expose one's buttocks to passers-by

Derived forms of moon

moonless, adjective

Word Origin for moon

Old English mōna; compare Old Frisian mōna, Old High German māno

British Dictionary definitions for moon (2 of 3)

Moon¹

/ (muːn) /

noun

a system of embossed alphabetical signs for blind readers, the fourteen basic characters of which can, by rotation, mimic most of the letters of the Roman alphabet, thereby making learning easier for those who learned to read before going blindCompare Braille 1

British Dictionary definitions for moon (3 of 3)

Moon²

/ (muːn) /

noun

William. 1818–94, British inventor of the Moon writing system in 1847, who, himself blind, taught blind children in Brighton and printed mainly religious works from stereotyped plates of his own designing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for moon

moon

[ mōōn ]

Often Moon. The natural satellite of Earth, visible by reflection of sunlight and traveling around Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit at an average distance of about 381,600 km (237,000 mi). The Moon's average diameter is 3,480 km (2,160 mi), and its mass is about 180 that of Earth. Its average period of revolution around Earth is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes. See more at giant impact theory.

A natural satellite revolving around a planet.

A Closer Look

The Earth's Moon is a desolate and quiet place. The only natural satellite of Earth, it consists almost entirely of rock, shows no signs of ongoing geologic activity, has no water, and has a very thin atmosphere consisting primarily of sodium. But our Moon does not present a typical case for planetary satellites. Over the last 50 years, over a hundred more moons have been discovered in the solar system, so that they now total 165, nearly all of them orbiting the larger planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus (Mercury and Venus have no moon), with an additional four moons orbiting dwarf planets. Because they are so far from the Sun, these moons are for the most part extremely cold. Io, one of Jupiter's 63 known moons, is an exception. It is the most geologically active body in the solar system, with almost constant volcanic activity and a surface covered by cooling lava. Some scientists think that another moon of Jupiter, Europa, may have liquid water capable of supporting life underneath a thick layer of surface ice. Titan, one of Saturn's moons, may also be capable of supporting primitive life in the ocean of liquid methane on its frigid surface.

Cultural definitions for moon

moon

A natural satellite of a planet; an object that revolves around a planet. The planets vary in the number of their moons; for example, Mercury and Venus have none, the Earth has one, and Jupiter has seventeen or more. The planets' moons, like the planets themselves, shine by reflected light.

notes for moon

The Earth's moon is about 240,000 miles away and is about 2,000 miles in diameter. The volume of the Earth is fifty times that of the moon; the mass of the Earth is about eighty times that of the moon. The moon has no atmosphere, and its gravity is about one-sixth that of the Earth.

Other Idioms and Phrases with moon

moon

see ask for the moon; once in a blue moon.

moon

Idioms about moon

Origin of moon

OTHER WORDS FROM moon

Words nearby moon

Other definitions for moon (2 of 2)

Words related to moon

How to use moon in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for moon (1 of 3)

Derived forms of moon

Word Origin for moon

British Dictionary definitions for moon (2 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for moon (3 of 3)

Scientific definitions for moon

A Closer Look

Cultural definitions for moon

notes for moon

Other Idioms and Phrases with moon