moonshot

American  

[moon-shot] / ˈmunˌʃɒt /

Or moon shot

noun

1. the act or procedure of launching a rocket or spacecraft to the moon.

2. a very challenging and innovative project or undertaking.

   Technology companies are investing in moonshots that address the world’s greatest problems.

3. Baseball. a high-velocity home run in which the ball reaches an extraordinary height.

   What could be more exciting than a bases-clearing moonshot over the right field wall in the bottom of the eleventh inning?

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adjective

1. relating to or noting a very challenging and innovative project or undertaking.

   His department takes moonshot ideas and brings them to reality.

moonshot British  

/ ˈmuːnˌʃɒt /

noun

1. the launching of a spacecraft, rocket, etc, to the moon

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Etymology

Origin of moonshot

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50 moonshot for def. 1; moon + shot ¹; the baseball sense, also capitalized as Moon shot, was named after Wallace Wade “Wally” Moon (1930–2018), U.S. baseball player, whose home run helped the Dodgers win the 1959 pennant

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

moonshot

The U.S. government is swinging behind a fledgling startup’s moonshot bid to dislodge Boeing BA 4.76%increase; up pointing triangle as America’s only major maker of commercial airliners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

A better frame is the one America has used in its finest hours: the moonshot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

Much of SpaceX’s future is tied to moonshot ideas, including putting up to 1 million data centers in Earth’s orbit and sending rockets to Mars.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026

Then again, it is probably better to be an AI moonshot than a failing shoe company in 2026.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

But just as the technology seemed poised to move from moonshot to mainstream, customer complaints started coming in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026