Meaning & use
moonshine
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Meanings
noununcountableinformal
Strong alcohol, often whiskey, made secretly and illegally, typically at night to avoid being caught.
Grammar: Uncountable: a jar of moonshine.
Patterns
- a jar of moonshine
- brew moonshine
During Prohibition, the family made moonshine in a hidden shed.
He sold jars of moonshine to neighbors at night.
The sheriff found a still where they were brewing moonshine.
noununcountableold-fashionedinformal
Nonsense, foolish talk or unrealistic ideas.
Grammar: Old-fashioned; used for dismissing something.
Patterns
- talk moonshine
- pure moonshine
His plan to get rich in a week is pure moonshine.
I think the theory is moonshine.
She dismissed the rumors as moonshine.
noununcountableliteraryrare
The light of the moon at night.
Grammar: Poetic and rare.
Patterns
- in the moonshine
The lake glittered in the moonshine.
They walked home through silver moonshine.
Moonshine flooded the garden.
Common combinations
- homemade moonshine
- He offered homemade moonshine to guests.
- illegal moonshine
- Illegal moonshine was sold in secret.
- jar of moonshine
- A jar of moonshine sat on the porch.
- moonshine still
- Agents raided the moonshine still.
- run moonshine
- Drivers once ran moonshine along mountain roads.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bootleg
- Bootleg describes any illegally made or sold alcohol, not only home-distilled spirits.
- white lightning
- White lightning is a colorful slang name for moonshine.
- nonsense
- Nonsense is the common word for foolish talk, while moonshine is dated and a bit dismissive.
- hooch
- Hooch is slang for any cheap, strong alcohol.
Word family
- moonshiner noun
- a person who makes illegal liquor
- moonshining noun
- the activity of making illegal liquor
- moonlight noun
- light from the moon
- moonlighting noun
- working a second job, often secretly
Commonly confused: moonshine or moonlight?
moonshine vs moonlight
Moonlight is the gentle light from the moon, while moonshine is mostly illegal liquor or nonsense.
Practice
The old man bragged about the moonshine he had ___ in the hills.
Choose one answer.
Moonshine is distilled alcohol. The other verbs do not collocate with making liquor.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moonshine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.