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🕺 A dance move 🕺 To dance backward 🌕 A walk on moon
moonwalk

moonwalk

5 6.8
A dance move where someone slides backward while seeming to walk forward
  • noun
  • /ˈmuːnˌwɔːk/
translation icon : moonwalk
  • The dancer's signature move was the moonwalk, which always left the crowd cheering.
  • the moonwalk of Jackson
  • the moonwalk of Michael Jackson
  • practice my moonwalk

Examples

  • During the dance class, we learned how to master the moonwalk step by step.

  • Well, this bird does the original Michael Jackson moonwalk.

    Academic text (2013)

  • I taught you the moonwalk.

    Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022)

  • There are a lot of people in this world... ...that think Michael Jackson had the first moonwalk.

    The Astronaut Farmer (2007)

  • Hey, buddy, doin' the moonwalk!

    Carpool (1996)

  • Like watching Michael Jackson moonwalk for the first time, you can't take your eyes off her.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Pull out all the classic embarrassing moves like the Running Man, the Moonwalk, the Tootsie Roll, and the Whoomp!

    Blog text (2)

  • And that's when I bust out my moonwalk—right out the door, alright.

    Blog text (24)

  • At the school talent show, he wowed the audience with his impressive moonwalk dance moves.

Synonyms

step
vsmoonwalk
113 1.0

A sequence of foot movements that form part of a dance

involves a backward glide that makes the performer appear to walk forward
dance move
vsmoonwalk
20 2.6

A specific step or movement done during a dance

is a particular foot action using a backward glide to create a walking illusion
dance step
vsmoonwalk
9 1.9

A set of foot movements that form part of a dance

includes a backward glide that creates the illusion of walking forward

How Difficult

backflip
12 3.5
moonwalk
5 6.8
to glide
89 2.9
step
220 1.0

Surface Forms

moonwalk singular
moonwalks plural

Morphology

moonwalk = moon + walk (semi-transparent) = moon + walk

The compound 'moon' + 'walk' is clear in form but the dance meaning is a metaphorical/specialized usage requiring cultural knowledge.

Etymology

Moonwalk is formed from moon and walk, and it was named because the dance makes the dancer look like 'walking on the moon' with a smooth, floating glide. That's why moonwalk means the famous dance step where you seem to move backward while appearing to walk forward.