new moon

noun

1

: the moon's phase when it is in conjunction with the sun so that its dark side is toward the earth

also : the thin crescent moon seen shortly after sunset for a few days after the actual occurrence of the new moon phase

2

: the beginning of each Jewish month marked by a special liturgy

Examples of new moon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The team believes that given the size, number, and orbital concentration of these new moons, the Mundilfari subgroup is likely where this cosmic collision occurred. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2025

Read the full Pisces Daily Horoscope Aries (March 21 - April 19) Last week's new moon asked you to offload emotional baggage. —USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2025

Stargazing during a new moon keeps the skies extra inky. —Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2025

What makes this event special is that the planets will be in roughly the same region of the sky during the dark sky phase of a new moon, offering a better chance for visibility. —Kelly Tyko, Axios, 28 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for new moon

• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon
• buffoon
• cartoon
• cocoon
• festoon
• gaboon
• harpoon
• immune
• impugn

Kids Definition

new moon

noun

: the moon's phase when its dark side is toward the earth

also : the thin curved outline of the moon seen shortly after sunset for a few days after the actual occurrence of the new moon phase