moonlight
Americannoun
adjective
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pertaining to moonlight.
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illuminated by moonlight.
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occurring by moonlight, or at night.
verb (used without object)
noun
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Also called: moonshine. light from the sun received on earth after reflection by the moon
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(modifier) illuminated by the moon
a moonlight walk
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short for moonlight flit
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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moonlightsimple
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moonlightssimple
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have moonlightedperfect
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has moonlightedperfect
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am moonlightingprogressive
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are moonlightingprogressive
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is moonlightingprogressive
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have been moonlightingperfect progressive
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has been moonlightingperfect progressive
Past
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moonlightedsimple
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had moonlightedperfect
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was moonlightingprogressive
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were moonlightingprogressive
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had been moonlightingperfect progressive
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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
In an alley behind Tony’s Restaurant, two dogs share a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs under the moonlight.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026
He hurried downstairs and got to the door just in time to see Holt jump on his horse and ride off in the moonlight, dressed in his long Johns, boots, and hat.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
A brash and confident young earthbending prodigy, Toph moonlights as a champion fighter called the Blind Bandit, unbeknownst to her overprotective upper-class parents who think their little girl is helpless.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
Attorney Mark Lanier moonlights as a preacher, and it shows when he’s taking on the world’s most powerful companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
Catriona Byers is a historian who moonlights as a food stylist.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025
Sharon Lowell, a lead equipment operator, moonlights as a beekeeper on her San Juan Island property.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2024
“Right. I suppose he moonlights as a boxer?”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
He moonlighted as an Uber driver to land the lead role advising the ride-sharing company on its 2018 offering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
The trio moonlighted as landlords themselves, owning an apartment building across the street from their East Hollywood office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2025
But the very existence of the film, which is loosely based on a seemingly strait-laced community college instructor who moonlighted as a fake assassin for the Houston police, proves just how much they fascinate us.
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2024
In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said his most nightmarish experience with the company occurred when he moonlighted as an Uber delivery driver.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2023
So, I moonlighted as a concierge at the Marriott Hotel and sold lingerie at Nordstrom.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Meanwhile, he is considering moonlighting as a delivery driver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
As a teenager she was moonlighting as a referee, raising enough money to fund a trip to South Africa to watch the 2010 World Cup as a fan.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
One of his lawyers has been moonlighting as a clown in his downtime, according to Business Insider.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
He quit Momofuku Ko but when the chef at Sergeantsville Inn left, he stepped in and was soon moonlighting in the kitchen a few days a week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Teachers, especially a teacher moonlighting as a counselor, tend to get left out of student gossip.
From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
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.
