MOMENT Definition & Meaning

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moment

[ moh-muhnt ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an indefinitely short period of time; instant:
I'll be with you in a moment.
Synonyms: , , , ,
Usually the moment. the present time or any other particular time:
He is busy at the moment.
a definite period or stage, as in a course of events; juncture:
at this moment in history.
importance or consequence:
a decision of great moment.
Synonyms: , , ,
a particular time or period of success, excellence, fame, etc.:
His big moment came in the final game.
Statistics. the mean or expected value of the product formed by multiplying together a set of one or more variates or variables each to a specified power.
Philosophy.
1. an aspect of a thing.
2. Obsolete. an essential or constituent factor.
Mechanics.
1. a tendency to produce motion, especially about an axis.
2. the product of a physical quantity and its directed distance from an axis:
  moment of area; moment of mass.

moment

/ ˈ��əʊ��ə�Գ� /

noun

a short indefinite period of time
he'll be here in a moment
a specific instant or point in time
at that moment the doorbell rang
the moment
the present point of time
at the moment it's fine
import, significance, or value
a man of moment
physics
1. a tendency to produce motion, esp rotation about a point or axis
2. the product of a physical quantity, such as force or mass, and its distance from a fixed reference point See also moment of inertia
statistics the mean of a specified power of the deviations of all the values of a variable in its frequency distribution. The power of the deviations indicates the order of the moment and the deviations may be from the origin (giving a moment about the origin ) or from the mean (giving a moment about the mean )

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of moment¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, Middle French, from Latin ��ō��Գٳܳ� “motion, cause of motion,” hence, “influence, importance, essential factor, moment of time,” from movimentum (unattested), equivalent to ��ō- (variant stem of the verb ��Ǳ�ŧ�� move ) + -mentum -ment

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of moment¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin ��ō��Գٳܳ�, from ��Ǳ�ŧ�� to move

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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with moment , also see at this point (moment) ; every minute (moment) counts ; for the moment ; have one's moments ; just a minute (moment) ; live for the moment ; never a dull moment ; not for a moment ; of the moment ; on the spur of the moment ; weak moment .

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Synonym Study

See minute ¹. See importance.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Since his return Wharton has produced a number of eye-catching performances and it is common to see edits of his best moments - such as a pirouette against Fulham - on social media.

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In the best moments Friday, the trio looked almost unstoppable.

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In Lue’s eyes, the Clippers are meeting the moment at a critical time.

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Rural North Yorkshire is having its Hollywood moment.

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Megan says, for her own recovery, she cannot be around her dad at the moment.

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Related 51�Թ�s

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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