supermoon

noun

su·​per·​moon ˈsü-pər-ˌmün 

plural supermoons

: a full moon occurring when the moon is at or near the closest point in its orbit

A supermoon … occurs when the moon is full within 24 hours of being at its closest point to the Earth in its orbit.

—Kaleigh Rogers

Visible supermoons appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than full moons that occur at the farthest point in the moon's orbit.

—Karen Hao

As the first and only supermoon of 2017 rose high into the sky this Sunday (Dec. 3), astrophotographers seized the opportunity to shoot the moon in all its bigger-than-usual glory.

—Hanneke Weitering

Examples of supermoon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Michigan saw four supermoon's in 2024, including November's full moon, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 10 Dec. 2024

This is the last of four straight supermoons in 2024. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 14 Nov. 2024

Yet new supermoons are essentially invisible to Earthlings unlike their brighter full supermoon counterparts. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025

Upcoming full moons Following the pink moon event, there are eight more full moons to look out for this year, with supermoons occurring in October, November and December. —Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supermoon

• afternoon
• forenoon
• honeymoon
• laocoon
• opportune
• pantaloon
• picayune
• tablespoon
• attune
• baboon
• balloon
• bassoon