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Definition of moon noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

moon

noun
 
 
/muːn/
 
/muːn/
Idioms
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  1.  
    (usually the moon)
    (also the Moon)
    [singular] the round object that moves around the earth once every 27½ days and shines at night by light reflected from the sun
    • the surface of the moon
    • the first man to walk on the moon
    • a moon landing
    Extra Examples
    • He made a promise to put a man on the moon.
    • During the eclipse, the moon passed between the sun and the Earth.
    • The agency wants to establish a permanent moon base.
    • an astronaut who was killed during the first moon mission
    Topics Spacea2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bright
    • pale
    • large
    • …
    verb + moon
    • cover
    • hide
    • fly to
    • …
    moon + verb
    • appear
    • come out
    • rise
    • …
    moon + noun
    • landing
    • base
    • rocket
    • …
    preposition
    • on the moon
    • under a/​the moon
    phrases
    • the light of the moon
    • the surface of the moon
    See full entry
  2.  
     [singular] the moon as it appears in the sky at a particular time
    • a crescent moon
    • There's no moon tonight (= no moon can be seen).
    • By the light of the moon I could just make out shapes and outlines.
    see also full moon, half-moon, harvest moon, new moon
    Extra Examples
    • The calendar gives you sunset times as well as moon phases.
    • The moon had almost set and the night was now dark.
    • They had to work by the light of the moon.
    • A large black cloud covered the moon.
    • The moon reflected perfectly off the surface of the water.
    • The moon cast its soft glow on the earth below.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bright
    • pale
    • large
    • …
    verb + moon
    • cover
    • hide
    • fly to
    • …
    moon + verb
    • appear
    • come out
    • rise
    • …
    moon + noun
    • landing
    • base
    • rocket
    • …
    preposition
    • on the moon
    • under a/​the moon
    phrases
    • the light of the moon
    • the surface of the moon
    See full entry
  3. [countable] a natural satellite that moves around a planet other than the earth
    • How many moons does Jupiter have?
    Extra Examples
    • The probe landed on Saturn's largest moon.
    • Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter.
    • Saturn's icy moons
    Topics Spaceb1
    4. Word OriginOld English mōna, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch maan and German Mond, also to month, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin mensis and Greek mēn ‘month’, and also Latin metiri ‘to measure’ (the moon being used to measure time).
Idioms
ask, cry, etc. for the moon
  1. (informal) to ask for something that is difficult or impossible to get or achieve
    • Wanting a decent job and a home is hardly asking for the moon.
many moons ago
  1. (literary) a very long time ago
    • All that happened many moons ago.
once in a blue moon
  1. (informal) very rarely
over the moon
  1. (informal, especially British English) extremely happy and excited
    • They’re over the moon about their trip to Japan.
    Topics Feelingsc1
promise (somebody) the earth/moon/world
  1. (informal) to make promises that will be impossible to keep
    • Politicians promise the earth before an election, but things are different afterwards.
promise (somebody) the moon/earth/world
  1. (informal) to make promises that will be impossible to keep
    • Politicians promise the moon before an election, but things are different afterwards.
See moon in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee moon in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: moon

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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