Meaning & use
epic moment
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Meanings
phrasecountableinformal
A short experience that feels amazingly impressive, exciting, or important, and is worth remembering.
Grammar: Countable: say 'an epic moment' or 'epic moments'; the plural is common when talking about several such highlights.
Patterns
- an epic moment for someone
- an epic moment in something
- have an epic moment
Scoring in the last second was an epic moment for the whole team.
Her first solo on stage was an epic moment she still talks about.
The crowd went silent, and then it turned into an epic moment of celebration.
phrasecountableinformalfigurative
A brief point in time that people treat as a huge, almost legendary turning point in a story or event.
Grammar: Often used with 'in' to name the event: 'an epic moment in the history of the club'.
Patterns
- an epic moment in history
- an epic moment in someone's life
Many fans call that goal an epic moment in the history of the club.
The speech became an epic moment in the campaign, quoted for years afterward.
Word forms
| plural | epic moments |
|---|
Common combinations
- a truly epic moment
- Watching the sunrise from the summit was a truly epic moment.
- an epic moment in history
- The moon landing is often described as an epic moment in history.
- create an epic moment
- The director wanted to create an epic moment for the final scene.
- an epic moment for the fans
- The comeback win was an epic moment for the fans.
- share an epic moment
- They shared an epic moment when the results were announced.
Synonyms and how they differ
- highlight
- A highlight is the best or most enjoyable part of something; it is more neutral and works in formal writing, while 'epic moment' sounds exaggerated and informal.
- milestone
- A milestone is an important stage that marks progress over time; it is usually serious and factual, not exciting or dramatic like an epic moment.
- defining moment
- A defining moment is a point that changes what comes later; it is more formal and serious than an epic moment, which mainly stresses excitement.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: epic moment or epic poem?
epic moment vs epic poem
An epic poem is a long traditional story poem about heroes; 'epic moment' is not a type of poem but a short impressive experience.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'epic moment' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Epic moment' means a short, hugely impressive experience, so winning a final fits. Option 1 and 3 wrongly treat it as a length of time, and option 4 wrongly treats it as a distance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “epic moment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.