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Moon

Moon

756 1.0
A large round rock that moves around the Earth and we see at night
  • noun
  • /muːn/
translation icon : luna
  • She admired the moon as it hung low in the evening sky, casting a silver glow.
  • full Moon
  • crescent Moon
  • Sun and Moon

Praise be my Lord for Sister Moon, and for the stars.

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Examples

  • During the eclipse, the moon passed directly in front of the sun, creating a stunning shadow.

  • So we had no idea how the moon formed at the time.

  • I never thought I would see the moon up close.

  • Eventually, the date would be decided by the moon phase and by the weather.

    Academic text (1994)
  • We had the top down, the moon was shining, and we drove along the beach.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • At twelve thirty-five, the moon appears over the vacant lot, silent and critical, white and cool.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • We may see our first view of the new crescent moon very low in the southwest at sundown.

    Academic text (1990)
  • At night, the moon shone brightly, illuminating the path through the forest.

Synonyms

satellite
vsMoon
  • Specialized
145 3.9

A natural body that moves around a planet or star, like the Moon

is a single natural object that orbits Earth and reflects sunlight at night
celestial body
vsMoon
  • Specialized
5 4.4

A natural object in space like a star or planet that you can see in the sky

is Earth's specific nighttime companion that reflects sunlight

Idioms

over the moon
  • Informal
13 4.9

Feeling very happy and excited because something good happened

6 5.0

Happens very rarely

4 8.2

To make a long loud cry like a wolf to show strong feeling

1 7.6

To demand something that is impossible or too much

to hung the moon
  • Informal
1 9.6

To think someone is perfect and cannot do wrong

1 6.8

Tell someone you will do something very big although you cannot do it

1 6.3

Feel very strong love for someone

To want something that is impossible or not realistic

Admire someone so much that you think they are perfect

An impossible thing that someone asks for

Compounds

116 1.2

A time when the Moon's whole face looks bright from Earth

9 2.8

A thin crescent of the Moon that first appears after a dark period

blue moon
  • Informal
7 6.1

An event that happens very rarely

6 4.7

A full moon that comes soon after the start of autumn and gives extra light for farmers

man in the moon
  • Literature
3 6.7

A shape people imagine on the moon's surface that looks like a face

A stage in the Moon's cycle that shows how much of it is lit

2 5.4

The moon looks red during a total eclipse when it passes into Earth's shadow because Earth's air filters sunlight

The half of the Moon that we never see from Earth

1 2.6

A time when half of the Moon appears lit by the Sun

1 9.1

A tree grown from seeds taken to the Moon on a space mission

blue moon event
  • Informal
6.6

A very rare event that almost never happens

full moon maple
  • Specialized
8.1

A small tree grown for its pretty, deeply cut leaves that turn bright red in autumn

A time when the Moon looks completely lit in the night sky

The time when the Moon looks fully round and very bright

3.9

A pale beam of light from the moon that shines at night

moon shell
  • Specialized
8.2

A smooth rounded sea snail shell with a small top often found on sandy beaches

moon shot
  • Specialized
5.1

A rocket launch that sends a spacecraft to the moon

7.9

A very ambitious project that is unlikely to succeed

9.9

A small evergreen bush with soft hairy leaves, yellow summer flowers, and snail-shaped seed pods

moon blindness
  • Specialized
9.8

Repeated inflammation in a horse's eye that can cause blindness

moon blindness
  • Archaic
9.8

Poor sight at night in people and animals often caused by lack of vitamin A

9.9

A plant with tall stems, thin leaves, and clusters of small white or pink flowers

9.9

A person who secretly brings goods into or out of a country to avoid paying taxes

6.2

A tall plant with white daisy-like flowers that grows in fields

9.9

A person who brings goods into or out of a country secretly to avoid paying taxes

8.6

A thin beam of light from the moon

moon-splashed
  • Literature
7.5

A place or object that has small areas lit by moonlight

An act of praying to the moon as if it were a god

9.9

A curved part of a fort wall shaped like a half moon for defenders to fire on attackers

4.2

A pale curved area at the base of a fingernail

A time when the Moon looks like a thin crescent at the start of a new moon cycle

How Bright

supernova
  • Specialized
40 7.5
quasar
  • Specialized
13 9.9
blazar
  • Specialized
3 9.9
star
1.0
Moon
756 1.0
planet
1.0

Surface Forms

Moon singular
Moons plural

Etymology

Moon comes from an old English word mōna that meant 'measure'. People used the Moon's regular changes to measure time, and its name gave us the word month, so the Moon became the sky's natural clock and the bright object that marks months and lights the night.