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

Inflected Forms

Participles

• moonlighting
  present
• moonlighted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• moonlight
  simple
• moonlights
  simple
• have moonlighted
  perfect
• has moonlighted
  perfect
• am moonlighting
  progressive
• are moonlighting
  progressive
• is moonlighting
  progressive
• have been moonlighting
  perfect progressive
• has been moonlighting
  perfect progressive

Past

• moonlighted
  simple
• had moonlighted
  perfect
• was moonlighting
  progressive
• were moonlighting
  progressive
• had been moonlighting
  perfect progressive

Future

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

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

Doctors can now moonlight as data-labelers, earning $170 an hour and working a minimum of 20 hours a week in a six-week contract.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Next time I glance up, moonlight glints between the cliffs.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz