moment
noun
mo·ment ˈmō-mənt 
1
a
: a minute portion or point of time : instant
a moment of dreadful suspense—
Graham Greene
Graham Greene b
: a comparatively brief period of time
moments of solitude
2
a
: present time
at the moment she is at work on her fourth novel—Holiday
Holiday b
: a time of excellence or conspicuousness
there's … some deliciously funny moments, but most of it is numbingly subtle—Jess Cagle
Jess Cagle3
: importance in influence or effect
decisions of moment must be made by our government—L. H. Evans
L. H. Evans4
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
T. S. Eliot6
a
: 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
7
a
: 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
Synonyms
- occasion
- time
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Please take a moment to hug your children and loved ones. —Rebekah Riess, CNN, 19 Feb. 2023 Though a scheme at the heart of Brightside Lunar Residences threatens to reveal itself at any moment, Jack’s juggling act to maintain the façade doesn’t feel all that urgent. —Lorraine Alitelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2023 The question remains: why this particular intersection, on this day, in this light, at this moment? —Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2023 Instead, Kwong asks visitors to take a quiet moment and reflect on their relationship with their very own ancestry. —Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 16 Feb. 2023 Some headphones use an even more advanced version (called adaptive active noise cancelation) to automatically adjust the level of cancelation depending on the background noise occurring each moment. —Loren Brutsch, Health, 15 Feb. 2023 Those who loved him say Lipton — who was born in Charlotte, N.C., and lived in Providence — made each moment count. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Feb. 2023 The church is open all day for those wishing to pray, or take a moment to process Monday night's events. —Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press, 14 Feb. 2023 When thanking someone, take a moment to pause and reflect—find something that stands out and include that. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023 See More
Rebekah Riess, CNN, 19 Feb. 2023 Though a scheme at the heart of Brightside Lunar Residences threatens to reveal itself at any moment, Jack’s juggling act to maintain the façade doesn’t feel all that urgent. —Lorraine Alitelevision Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2023 The question remains: why this particular intersection, on this day, in this light, at this moment? —Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2023 Instead, Kwong asks visitors to take a quiet moment and reflect on their relationship with their very own ancestry. —Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 16 Feb. 2023 Some headphones use an even more advanced version (called adaptive active noise cancelation) to automatically adjust the level of cancelation depending on the background noise occurring each moment. —Loren Brutsch, Health, 15 Feb. 2023 Those who loved him say Lipton — who was born in Charlotte, N.C., and lived in Providence — made each moment count. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Feb. 2023 The church is open all day for those wishing to pray, or take a moment to process Monday night's events. —Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press, 14 Feb. 2023 When thanking someone, take a moment to pause and reflect—find something that stands out and include that. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2023 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin momentum movement, particle sufficient to turn the scales, moment, from movēre to move
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing moment
Kids Definition
moment
noun mo·ment ˈmō-mənt
1
: a brief portion of time : instant
2
a
: present time
at the moment she is working on a novel
b
: a time of importance or success
he has his moments
3
: importance, consequence
an event of great moment
moment
noun
1
as in time
a particular point at which an event takes place at that moment he suddenly turned around and headed toward me Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- time
- occasion
- minute
- instant
- second
- while
- split second
- shake
- trice
- space
- twinkle
- jiffy
- flash
- wink
- spell
- bit
- stretch
2
as in importance
the quality or state of being important an event of great moment Synonyms & Similar Words
- importance
- significance
- consequence
- import
- magnitude
- momentousness
- gravity
- value
- weight
- weightiness
- account
- power
- worth
- substance
- note
- seriousness
- prominence
- celebrity
- potency
- fame
- notoriety
- position
- store
- name
- status
- control
- distinction
- worthiness
- eminence
- report
- standing
- sway
- mastery
- preeminence
- noteworthiness
- renown
- dominion
- greatness
- centrality
- substantiveness
- reputation
- glory
- authority
- stature
- prestige
- repute
- mark
- honor
- rank
- essentialness
- essentiality
- illustriousness
- cachet
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- insignificance
- smallness
- triviality
- littleness
- shame
- pettiness
- slightness
- ignominy
- puniness
- infamy
- worthlessness
- disgrace
- anonymity
- discredit
- dishonor
- disrepute
- valuelessness
- opprobrium
- obscurity
- odium
- paltriness
3
as in minute
a very small space of time I'll be there in just a moment Synonyms & Similar Words
- minute
- second
- heartbeat
- instant
- nanosecond
- split second
- trice
- twinkling
- jiffy
- twinkle
- wink
- eyeblink
- shake
- flash
- New York minute
- jiff
- microsecond
- beat
- snatch
- spurt
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- age
- forever
- eternity
- lifetime
- eon
- infinity
- aeon
4
as in present
the time currently existing or in progress I'm not doing anything at the moment Synonyms & Similar Words
- present
- today
- now
- phase
- state
- stage
- here and now
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- past
- yesterday
- history
- future
- yesteryear
- tomorrow
- yore
- offing
- futurity
- hereafter
- by-and-by
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of moment are consequence, importance, significance, and weight. While all these words mean "a quality or aspect having great worth or significance," moment implies conspicuous or self-evident consequence.
a decision of great moment
The words consequence and moment can be used in similar contexts, but consequence generally implies importance because of probable or possible effects.
the style you choose is of little consequence
The synonyms importance and moment are sometimes interchangeable, but importance implies a value judgment of the superior worth or influence of something or someone.
a region with no cities of importance
While in some cases nearly identical to moment, significance implies a quality or character that should mark a thing as important but that is not self-evident and may or may not be recognized.
the treaty's significance
While the synonyms weight and moment are close in meaning, weight implies a judgment of the immediate relative importance of something.
the argument carried no weight with the judge