Definition

1. Noun:

   • The natural satellite of the Earth: The large celestial body that orbits Earth and is visible by reflected sunlight.
   • Any natural satellite of a planet: A similar body that orbits any planet.
   • Moonlight: The light that comes from the moon.
   • A month, specifically a lunar month: The period of time (about 29.5 days) between successive new moons.
   • An object resembling the moon: Something that has a round or crescent shape similar to the moon.

2. Verb:

   • To behave in an idle, listless, or dreamy way: To move or act without energy or purpose, often while thinking about other things.
   • To expose one's buttocks as a prank or insult: To show one's bare buttocks to someone, typically in a humorous or rude gesture.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The full moon was incredibly bright last night.
  • Jupiter has many moons, including the large Ganymede.
  • We walked home by the light of the moon.
  • The project will take about a moon to complete.
  • The old clock had a painted moon that showed its phases.

• Verb:

  • He just mooned about the house all day, doing nothing.
  • The rebellious student was expelled for mooning the principal during the assembly.

Advanced Usage

• "To moon over someone/something": To think or behave in a dreamy, lovesick, or infatuated way about someone or something.
  • She spent the summer mooning over her favorite pop star.

Variants and Related Words

• Moony (adjective): Dreamy, listless, or resembling the moon.
  • He had a moony expression on his face during the lecture.
• Moonless (adjective): Dark due to the absence of moonlight.
  • It was a moonless night, and the path was hard to see.

Synonyms

• Noun (for Earth's moon): Satellite, orb.
• Verb (to act idly): Daydream, dawdle, loaf.
• Verb (to expose buttocks): Flash (informal).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Moon about/around: To move or act in a listless, aimless, or dreamy manner.
  • Stop mooning about and help me with these chores.

Related Idioms

• Once in a blue moon: Very rarely.
  • He only visits his hometown once in a blue moon.
• Cry for the moon: To ask for something that is impossible to get.
  • Demanding a perfect solution is just crying for the moon.
• Over the moon: To be extremely pleased or happy.
  • She was over the moon when she got the promotion.

Verb

1. expose one's buttocks to
   • moon the audience
2. be idle in a listless or dreamy way
3. have dreamlike musings or fantasies while awake
   • She looked out the window, daydreaming

Noun

1. any natural satellite of a planet
   • Jupiter has sixteen moons
2. United States religious leader (born in Korea) who founded the Unification Church in 1954; was found guilty of conspiracy to evade taxes (born in 1920)
3. the light of the Moon
   • moonlight is the smuggler's enemy
   • the Moon was bright enough to read by
4. the period between successive new moons (29.531 days)
5. any object resembling a moon
   • he made a moon lamp that he used as a night light
   • the clock had a moon that showed various phases
6. the natural satellite of the Earth
   • the average distance to the Moon is 384,400 kilometers
   • men first stepped on the moon in 1969