SKIP TO CONTENT

moonlight

/ˌmunˈlaɪt/
/ˈmunlaɪt/
IPA guide

Other forms: moonlighting; moonlights; moonlighted

Moonlight is literally the light we can see shining from the moon, but to moonlight is to work a second job. Get it? You have to work in the moonlight because there aren’t enough hours in the day.

Moonlight is the reflection of the sun off the moon's surface — a clear sky and a full moon provide brilliant moonlight. Smugglers hate moonlight. If you moonlight, you work a second job, and it doesn’t have to be at night. If your history teacher also works as a mascot for a baseball team, he moonlights as a dancing bear. As a verb, it used to mean “commit crimes at night,” but now just means “to work a second job.”

Definitions of moonlight
  1. noun
    the light of the Moon
    moonlight is the smuggler's enemy”
    synonyms: Moon, moonshine
    see moresee less
    type of:
    light, visible light, visible radiation
    (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
  2. verb
    work a second job, usually after hours
    “The law student is moonlighting as a taxi driver”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    do work, work
    be employed
Pronunciation
US
/ˌmunˈlaɪt/
UK
/ˈmunlaɪt/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘moonlight'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family