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

Biggest Supermoon Of 2025 When: November 5, 2025 Get ready for the biggest and brightest supermoon of the year. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Here are when the full moons of 2025 will peak: Jan. 13 Feb. 12 March 14 April 12 May 12 June 11 July 10 Aug. 9 Sept. 7 Oct. 6 Nov. 5 Dec. 4 When are the supermoons of 2025 in Michigan? —Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 26 Dec. 2024

And later in October, the supermoon known as hunter’s moon will interfere less with meteor viewing. —Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024

When the moon’s orbit brings it closer to Earth than usual, the cosmic combo is called a supermoon. —Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above