harvest moon

noun

: the full moon nearest the time of the September equinox

Examples of harvest moon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How did the harvest moon get its name? — Mike Haskey, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2025 Some time later, just before a harvest moon, there was a storm. — Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025 This is roughly 2,782 miles closer than October's harvest moon, the second-largest and -brightest of the year. — Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025 After last night’s full harvest moon glow, the cosmos is putting on another show; this time upping the odds of dazzling ribbons of green, purple and red, dancing across the velvet night. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for harvest moon

Word History

First Known Use

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of harvest moon was in 1706

Rhymes for harvest moon

See All Rhymes for harvest moon

Browse Nearby Words

harvest mite
harvest moon
harvest mouse
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harvest moon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harvest%20moon. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

harvest moon

noun
: the full moon nearest the time of the September equinox

More from Merriam-Webster on harvest moon

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about harvest moon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All