# moonlight

/ˈmunˌɫaɪt/ (US) · /mˈuːnlaɪt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/moonlight
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. light from the moon

noun · CEFR A2

the light that you see at night which comes from the moon.

For teachers: the light reflected from the moon's surface, appearing to emanate from it during the night.

- We took a long walk along the beach by the glow of the moonlight.
- The silver moonlight cast long, distorted shadows across the valley, making the familiar landscape appear eerie and unrecognizable.

### 2. to work a second job

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to have a second job that you do secretly, usually in the evening or at night.

For teachers: to hold a secondary job in addition to one's primary employment, often performed at night and sometimes without paying tax.

- He is a teacher during the day, but he moonlights as a taxi driver at night.
- Several staff members were found to be moonlighting as freelance consultants for the firm's direct competitors, leading to a strict review of their contracts.

Usage: The verb is intransitive and often followed by 'as' to describe the second role.

### 3. leaving without paying rent

noun · CEFR C2 · British English · Informal · Dialect

leaving a house or apartment secretly at night to avoid paying the rent you owe.

For teachers: an act of secretly vacating a property at night to evade rent or other debts; primarily used in the phrase 'do a moonlight'.

- The neighbors did a moonlight because they couldn't afford the high rent anymore.
- The landlord arrived on Monday morning only to discover that the tenants had done a moonlight over the weekend, leaving the flat entirely empty.

Teaching tip: This sense is mostly found in British English and is becoming less common in modern speech.

## Examples

- The garden looks beautiful in the moonlight.
- We took a long walk along the beach, guided only by the bright moonlight reflecting off the waves.
- The silver moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of the forest, casting long, distorted shadows across the mossy ground.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.