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

Where the May new moon could cause trouble The negative effects of this new moon are that so much is happening in the mind. —Danijela Pilic, Glamour, 27 May 2025

Only published last week, the image is the first one ever of a new moon aside from during a total solar eclipse. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025

Age before beauty To obtain an approximate age for a young crescent moon, simply add the number of hours or days that have elapsed from the time of new moon through the date and time of sunset at your location on a particular evening. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 27 May 2025

Finally, the month wraps up with a gentle and inspiring new moon on May 26. —Nina Kahn, StyleCaster, 28 Apr. 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