Meanings
- astronomyA moon that emits only dim light.
The mountain was lit by a smuggler's moon by 10 p.m. and it was easier now to walk down.
1982, The Himalayan Journal - Volume 38, page 672 more examples
On this hot, humid night, the moon, a smuggler's moon, rose like a giant orange ball from the swamp.
1979, Albert Goldman, Grass Roots: Marijuana in America Today, page 184A smuggler's moon, so they called it here on the Romney Marsh, where the southern shore of England teased the coast of France. Enough light to make it easy to slip over the sand with uncustomed tea and brandy, but too little to give His Majesty's riding officers a clear shot at one's back.
1991, Christina Skye, The Black Rose, page 15 - astronomySynonym of dark moon.
"It's so dark," she said. "I can only see a few stars." "A smuggler's moon."
2001, Cassie Miles, Undercover Protector, page 2333 more examples
It was that one time of the month when the moon turned coward and its back was all one could see. A smuggler's moon.
1994, Jill Barnett, Dreaming, page 12Above him, a thin cloud moved across the bright sliver of the moon. A smuggler's moon.
1994, Sibylle Garrett, Knight's Corner, page 162On Wednesday evening (26th) the five bars and pubs on St Mary's were almost empty as regulars made the most of a smuggler's moon to return to the wreck in darkness to see what they could find.
1996, Gard news, page 28Synonyms: dark moon
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of dark moon.
Origin
So named because a smuggler at nighttime can pass by undetected or unnoticed due to the dim light.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
smuggler's moon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smuggler's%20moon
“smuggler's moon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smuggler's%20moon. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smuggler's moon,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smuggler's%20moon.
Source: smuggler's moon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.