moonlight
B2Pronunciation
UK
- /mˈuːnlaɪt/
US
- /ˈmunˌlaɪt/
Description
- pale light from the moon
- soft night glow
- light on a moonlit night
- work a second job
Moonlight is the soft light that comes from the moon at night. It often brings to mind quiet, romantic, or mysterious scenes, like a path by a lake or a garden under a clear sky. You can say a place is "bathed in moonlight" when it is gently lit by that pale glow. "Moonlight" is also used as a verb. If someone moonlights, they do a second job in addition to their main one, often to earn extra money.
Moonlight is the soft natural light seen at night when the moon lights the earth. In everyday use, it usually refers to the pale glow that covers fields, streets, water, or a room by the window. That is why the word often appears in romantic, calm, or slightly mysterious scenes. If someone says a beach or a forest was shining in moonlight, they mean it was gently lit by the moon.
The word can also be used as a verb. When someone moonlights, they work at a second job besides their regular one. A teacher might moonlight as a tutor in the evening, or an office worker might moonlight as a driver on weekends. This meaning is common in informal and general English and usually suggests extra work done for more income.
So the word has two main uses: the pale light of the moon, and the act of doing extra paid work outside your main job. The first use is common in stories, descriptions of nature, and emotional scenes. The second use is common when talking about work and money. Both meanings are standard, and the intended sense is usually clear from the context.
Examples
- 1
Outdoor visibility
The path to the cabin was easy to see in the moonlight.
- 2
Quiet conversation
They sat on the beach, talking quietly by moonlight.
- 3
Appearance
Her face looked pale and almost unreal in the moonlight.
- 4
Second job
He moonlights as a wedding photographer on weekends.
Pattern
moonlight as + job
have a second job, usually in addition to your main one
- 5
Acting work
A lot of actors moonlight to pay the rent between roles.
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- moonlightnounverb
Forms
- moonlighting-ing formverbnoun
- moonlightsverbnoun
- moonlightedpast tenseverbnoun