I. moon1 W3 /muːn/
noun[
Language: Old English;
Origin: mona]
1. the moon/the Moon the round object that you can see shining in the sky at night, and that moves around the Earth every 28 days:
the craters on the surface of the moon
The Americans landed on the Moon in 1969.
The moon appeared from behind a cloud.
The moon rose into the sky.
The moon was shining in the sky.2. [countable usually singular] the appearance or shape of the moon at a particular time:
It was the night of the full moon.
a clear night with a bright moon
a thin crescent moon3. [countable] a round object that moves around a
planet other than Earth:
the moons of Saturn4. ask for the moon (
also cry for the moon British English)
informal to ask for something that is difficult or impossible to obtain:
There’s no point in crying for the moon.5. over the moon British English informal very happy:
She’s over the moon about her new job.6. many moons ago literary a long time ago:
It all happened many moons ago. ⇒
once in a blue moon at
once1(15), ⇒
promise somebody the moon at
promise1(3)
[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲
II. moon2 verb [intransitive and transitive] informal to bend over and show your
buttocks as a joke or a way of insulting someone
moon about/around phrasal verb British English informal to spend your time lazily, moving around with no real purpose:
I wish you’d stop mooning about and do something useful!moon over somebody/something phrasal verb old-fashioned to spend your time thinking about someone that you are in love with:
She sits mooning over his photograph for hours. [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲
star a large ball of burning gas in space, which can be seen at night as a point of light in the sky:
The dark night sky was clear and full of stars.planet one of the large objects that goes around the sun, for example the Earth, Saturn, Mercury, or Mars:
The planet Uranus was discovered in 1781.sun the star that gives us light and heat, around which the planets move. There are also many millions of other suns in the universe:
The sun came out from behind a cloud.
a dying sunmoon the round object that moves around the Earth every 28 days, or a similar object that goes around another planet:
The moon rose in the night sky.
Titan is one of the moons of Saturn.asteroid a mass of rock that moves around the sun. Most
asteroids are found between Jupiter and Mars:
the asteroid beltpulsar a type of star that is far away in space and produces
radiation and
RADIO WAVESquasar an object like a star that is far away in space and shines extremely brightly
supernova a very large exploding star
constellation a group of stars that forms a particular pattern and has a name:
The constellation of Orion is one of the most easily recognizable patterns of stars in the night sky.galaxy one of the large groups of stars that make up the universe:
Astronomers have detected a galaxy 11 billion light years away.the universe all space, including all the stars and planets:
How many planets in the universe have life?celebrity someone who often appears in newspapers, on television etc and is well-known to the public.
Celebrities are often famous for being famous, not because they have any great
talent:
The magazine is full of gossip about celebrities.name a famous person whose name is known by many people – used especially in the following expressions:
All the big names in football were at the awards dinner.
Giorgio Armani is one of the most famous names in fashion.
He is yet to become a household name (=someone who everyone has heard of).personality an entertainer or sports player who is famous and often appears in the newspapers, on television etc. – used especially in the following phrases:
Many advertisers use TV personalities to promote their products.
He was chosen as sports personality of the year.superstar an extremely famous performer, especially a musician or film actor:
The film made Tom Cruise an international superstar.legend someone who is famous and admired for being extremely good at doing something – used especially about people who are at the end of a long career or who have died:
blues legend John Lee Hooker
Jane Fonda is the daughter of film legend Henry Fonda.great [usually plural] someone who was one of the best players or performers that there have ever been:
He was one of the all-time soccer greats. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲