What does "moonlighting" mean?

The act of, or a period of, working on the side (at a secondary job), often in the evening or during the night, either openly or secretly.

What is a synonym for "moonlighting"?

Common synonyms include: appointment, berth, billet, employment, engagement, gig.

noun, verb

noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The act of, or a period of, working on the side (at a secondary job), often in the evening or during the night, either openly or secretly. countable, uncountable
"Aiming for sky-high productivity, the company discourages the distractions and fatigue of moonlighting by paying people enough that most choose not to bother with a second job."
2
Moonshining. countable, dated, rare, uncountable

Verb

1
present participle and gerund of moonlight form-of, gerund, participle, present

"He's moonlighting as a stripper."

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.