ˈoʊvər ðə muːn
Nature & Weather
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- Positioned beyond the moon
What does "over the moon" mean?
- Extremely happy and delighted
- Thrilled about something
Examples
- She was over the moon about the promotion.
- We're over the moon to announce our engagement.
- The fans were over the moon after the victory.
Origin
Possibly from the nursery rhyme 'The cow jumped over the moon.' Being so happy you could jump that high.
How to use it
British origin but widely used. Expresses extreme happiness, especially about news.
Similar expressions
ecstatic
delighted
thrilled
overjoyed
Opposites
disappointed
upset
miserable
Related idioms
- out of the blue
Unexpectedly; without warning
- beat around the bush
To avoid talking about the main point of a conversation
- every cloud has a silver lining
There is something positive in every negative situation
- go with the flow
To accept things as they are and adapt accordingly
- once in a blue moon
Very rarely; almost never
- tip of the iceberg
A small visible part of a much larger hidden problem
Use it in a practice answer
Try "over the moon" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.