moment
noun
mo·ment
| \ ˈmō-mənt
\
\
Definition of moment
1a
: a minute portion or point of time : instant
a moment of dreadful suspense— Graham Greene
b
: a comparatively brief period of time
moments of solitude
2a
: present time
at the moment she is at work on her fourth novel — Holiday
b
: a time of excellence or conspicuousness
there's … some deliciously funny moments, but most of it is numbingly subtle— Jess Cagle
3
: importance in influence or effect
decisions of moment must be made by our government— L. H. Evans
4
obsolete
: a cause or motive of action
5
: a stage in historical or logical development
a document of one moment in the history of thought and sensibility in the nineteenth century— T. S. Eliot
6a
: tendency or measure of tendency to produce motion especially about a point or axis
b
: the product of quantity (such as a force) and the distance to a particular axis or point
7a
: the mean (see mean entry 4 sense 1b) of the nth powers of the deviations (see deviation sense b) of the observed values in a set of statistical data from a fixed value
b
: the expected value of a power of the deviation (see deviation sense b) of a random variable from a fixed value
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Examples of moment in a Sentence
The sun was shining. Moments later, it began to rain.
It was a moment before she realized what had happened.
She stopped for a moment and peeked into the window.
It should only take a moment to fix the problem.
I'm very busy and I don't have a moment to spare.
One moment it was sunny; the next it was pouring rain.
The moment for us to act has arrived.
War seemed unavoidable at that moment in history.
She knew exactly the right moment to ask for a raise.
We had an exciting vacation. There was never a dull moment.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Mike Piazza hit a go-ahead home run to give the Mets a win in what's widely considered to be a moment of healing for the city and nation. — Christopher Brito, CBS News, "Wearing 9/11-inspired cleats, Mets get emotional win on anniversary of September 11 attacks," 12 Sep. 2019 There isn’t another side, and there isn’t another moment. — Edward Felsenthal, Time, "Why TIME Devoted an Entire Issue to Climate Change," 12 Sep. 2019 His first trip into the end zone, which came on a 45-yard catch and run in the third quarter against Indiana on Aug. 31, was a particularly emotional moment. — Brent Kennedy, baltimoresun.com, "Howard County sports notebook: Hobbit’s Glen PGA Junior League advances to first regional championship," 12 Sep. 2019 The tragedy of 9/11 was hardly a shining moment in our nation’s national security apparatus. — Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel, Twin Cities, "Other voices: FBI should stop hiding what happened in Sarasota before 9/11," 11 Sep. 2019 Castro’s hope is for the moment enabling him to shine by controlling discussion on a topic, a possibility over a period of three hours. — Bill Lambrecht, ExpressNews.com, "Castro seeks a breakthrough in Houston debate," 11 Sep. 2019 For a moment early in the match, the air left Exploria Stadium. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City battle for a 2-2 home draw against LAFC," 8 Sep. 2019 This was a photo moment Mugabe would not let pass though Marechera was right to have been cynical. — Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Quartz Africa, "The Zimbabwean writer who was Robert Mugabe’s nemesis," 7 Sep. 2019 What ought to be a moment to celebrate German unity may become an occasion to highlight its rifts. — The Economist, "Germany’s ruling parties have escaped electoral disaster," 7 Sep. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'moment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for moment
moment
noun
English Language Learners Definition of moment
: a very short period of time
: a particular time : a precise point in time
: the present time
See the full definition for moment in the English Language Learners Dictionary
moment
noun
mo·ment
| \ ˈmō-mənt
\
\
Kids Definition of moment
1
: a very brief time
A shooting star lasts only a moment.
2
: present time
I'm busy at the moment.
3
: importance
We met to discuss a subject of great moment.
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