moment (moments plural )
1 n-count You can refer to a very short period of time, for example a few seconds, as a moment or moments.
(=minute, second)
In a moment he was gone..., She stared at him a moment, then turned away..., Stop for one moment and think about it!..., In moments, I was asleep once more.
2 n-count A particular moment is the point in time at which something happens.
with supp
At this moment a car stopped at the house..., Many people still remember the moment when they heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated.
3 If you say that something will or may happen at any moment or any moment now, you are emphasizing that it is likely to happen very soon.
(at) any moment (now) phrase
(emphasis)
They ran the risk of being shot at any moment..., He'll be here to see you any moment now.
4 You use expressions such as at the moment, at this moment, and at the present moment to indicate that a particular situation exists at the time when you are speaking.
at the/this moment/present moment phrase
(=now, currently)
At the moment, no one is talking to me..., This is being planned at the present moment...
5 If you say that you do not believe for a moment or for one moment that something is true, you are emphasizing that you do not believe that it could possibly be true.
for a/one moment phrase with brd-neg, PHR with v (emphasis)
(=for a minute)
I don't for a moment think there'll be a divorce.
6 You use for the moment to indicate that something is true now, even if it will not be true in the future.
for the moment phrase PHR with cl
For the moment, however, the government is happy to live with it.
7 If you say that someone or something has their moments, you are indicating that there are times when they are successful or interesting, but that this does not happen very often.
have one's moments phrase V inflects
The film has its moments...
8 If someone does something at the last moment, they do it at the latest time possible.
the last moment phrase prep PHR
They changed their minds at the last moment and refused to go.
9 You use the expression the next moment, or expressions such as `one moment he was there, the next he was gone', to emphasize that something happens suddenly, especially when it is very different from what was happening before.
the next moment phrase
(emphasis)
The next moment there was an almighty crash..., He is unpredictable, weeping one moment, laughing the next.
10 You use of the moment to describe someone or something that is or was especially popular at a particular time, especially when you want to suggest that their popularity is unlikely to last long or did not last long.
of the moment phrase n PHR
He's the man of the moment, isn't he?
11 If you say that something happens the moment something else happens, you are emphasizing that it happens immediately after the other thing.
the moment phrase PHR that (emphasis)
The moment I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.
12 →
spur of the moment →
spur
moment of truth (moments of truth plural )If you refer to a time or event as themoment of truth, you mean that it is an important time when you must make a decision quickly, and whatever you decide will have important consequences in the future. n-count
(=crunch)
Both men knew the moment of truth had arrived.
spur-of-the-moment
→
spur
