Meaning

(uncountable, also attributive) The light reflected from the Moon, which seems to emanate from it..

Definitions by Sense

1. (uncountable, also attributive) The light reflected from the Moon, which seems to emanate from it.
2. (uncountable, archaic) The silvery colour of the light reflected by the Moon.
3. (uncountable, UK, dialectal, archaic) Synonym of moonshine (“illegally produced or smuggled spirits”).
4. (countable, informal) Chiefly in to do a moonlight: short for moonlight flit (“an act of secretly leaving premises without paying the rent, supposedly at night by the light of the Moon; hence, any act of escaping at night”).
5. A picture of a scene illuminated by light reflected by the Moon.
6. A journey made at night when the Moon is shining.
7. An oratorical competition; also, a participant in such a competition.
8. To do a moonlight flit: to secretly leave premises without paying the rent, supposedly at night by the light of the Moon.

Example Sentences

Meronym: moonbeam

Than Ripheus him ſelf adioynd, & myghty moſt with launce / Came Iphitus onto my ſide, by monelight met by chaunce.

If you vvill patiently daunce in our Round, / And ſee our Moonelight Reuelles, goe vvith vs: / If not, ſhunne me, and I vvill ſpare your haunts.

Hovv ſvveete the Moone-light ſleeps vpon this banke, / Heere vvill vve ſit, and let the ſounds of muſicke / Creepe in our eares ſoft ſtillneſſe, and the night / Become the tutches of ſvveete harmony: […]

The night comes on, vve, eager to purſue / The Combat ſtil, and they aſham'd to leave: / Till the laſt ſtreaks of dying day vvithdrevv, / And doubtful Moon-light did our rage deceive.

This choleric gentleman, vvho vvas a country ſquire, no ſooner ſavv his rival, than he began to brandiſh his cudgel in a menacing poſture, […] This attitude, and the ſight of the blade vvhich glittened by moonlight in his face, checked in ſome ſort, the ardour of his aſſailant, […]

'Tis eight o’clock,—a clear March night, / The moon is up,—the sky is blue, / The owlet, in the moonlight air, / Shouts from nobody knows where; […]

He found him in a little moonlight room, / Pale, lattic'd, chill, and silent as a tomb.

Word Forms

• moonlights
• moonlighting
• moonlighted

Synonyms for moonlight

Related Words

When Should You Use Moonlight?

Use moonlight when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions