supermoon

[soo-per-moon]

noun

Meteorology.

1. a full moon that purportedly looks larger than normal when it coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of supermoon¹

First recorded in 1975–80 super- ( def. ) + moon ( def. )

Example Sentences

A supermoon — the closest such moon to the Earth this year — is wreaking havoc with ocean tides up and down the state’s coast just as an atmospheric river storm moved through Northern California.

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Meanwhile, November’s supermoon was causing some flooding.

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The closest supermoon of the year is approaching in November.

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“Sometimes the full Moon occupies the closest point of its orbit, and that is a so-called ‘supermoon,’” according to the observatory.

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The supermoon, which was at it peak brightness on Tuesday and Wednesday at 5:19 a.m., was 221,817 miles from Earth, according to the Farmers’ Almanac.

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