moonwalk
English
Etymology
- (backslide): Coined by Michael Jackson in 1983, when popularizing the backslide and renaming it.
Pronunciation
Noun
moonwalk (plural moonwalks)
- An exploration of the Moon's surface on foot by an astronaut.
- (dance) A dance move in which the dancer slides backwards though the feet move as if walking forwards; the backslide.
- (dance) A dance style in which the dancer appears to be moving in a low gravity environment.
- 2012 May 15, Scott Tobias, “Film: Reviews: The Dictator”, in The Onion AV Club[1]:
- Though the idea of placing wacky made-up characters in a real-life context was carried over from Da Ali G Show—wherein Buzz Aldrin was once asked if he was upset that Michael Jackson got all the credit for inventing the moonwalk—Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat felt like something new, an attempt to square an improvised, guerrilla style of underground comedy with reality-TV stunt shows like Jackass or Fear Factor.
Hypernyms
- (exploration of the Moon on foot): extravehicular activity
- (dance style): dance
Translations
exploration
|
dance style
|
Verb
moonwalk (third-person singular simple present moonwalks, present participle moonwalking, simple past and past participle moonwalked)
- (intransitive) To walk on the surface of the Moon.
- (intransitive) To walk in leaps, like on the Moon or on other low gravity surfaces.
- (intransitive, dance) To perform the moonwalk.
- (intransitive) To walk in a manner that is similar to the moonwalk dance style; to move while sliding backwards as though the feet move as if one was walking forwards.
- 2022 October 16, Jenna Scherer, “An enticing House Of The Dragon crowns Westeros' new ruler”, in AV Club[2]:
- Alicent’s crew intercede and try to grab the prince for themselves, Aemond restraining his fleeing brother while Criston crosses swords with Cargyll 1. That’s when Cargyll 2 moonwalks away, realizing that he wants no part of this royal shitshow.
Derived terms
Translations
Dutch
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈmun.ʋɔ(l)k/, /ˈmun.ʋɑ(l)k/
Noun
moonwalk m (plural moonwalken, diminutive moonwalkje n)
Derived terms
- moonwalken
Portuguese
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English moonwalk
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌmũˈwɔw.ki/ [ˌmũˈwɔʊ̯.ki], /ˌmũˈwɔwk/ [ˌmũˈwɔʊ̯k]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌmũˈwɔwk/ [ˌmũˈwɔʊ̯k], /ˌmũˈwɔw.ki/ [ˌmũˈwɔʊ̯.ki]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˌmunˈwɔlk/ [ˌmunˈwɔɫk]
- Rhymes: -ɔwki, -ɔlki
- Hyphenation: moon‧walk
Noun
moonwalk m (invariable)
Related terms
Further reading
- “moonwalk”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025