honeymoon

American  

[huhn-ee-moon] / ˈhʌn iˌmun /

noun

1. a vacation or trip taken by a newly married couple (often used attributively).

   After you've said "I do," why not escape to a dream honeymoon in Greece?

   Relax and kindle the flame of passion in one of our honeymoon suites.

2. a period of harmony at the beginning of a marriage.

   After the initial honeymoon, there may be a temptation to let routine take over.

3. any period of blissful harmony.

   Their entire 60 years of marriage was one long honeymoon.

4. any new relationship characterized by an initial period of harmony and goodwill.

   The honeymoon between Congress and the new president was over.

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verb (used without object)

1. to spend one's honeymoon (usually followed by in orat ).

   In a few months we’ll be honeymooning in New Zealand, and we can't wait!

honeymoon British  

/ ˈhʌnɪˌmuːn /

noun

1. 1. a holiday taken by a newly married couple

   2. ( as modifier )

      a honeymoon cottage

2. a holiday considered to resemble a honeymoon

   a second honeymoon

3. the early, usually calm period of a relationship, such as a political or business one

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verb

1. (intr) to take a honeymoon

Other Word Forms

• honeymooner noun

Etymology

Origin of honeymoon

First recorded in 1540–50; honey + moon

Example Sentences

She and her two siblings grew up under the watchful eye of a taxidermied chicken in a museum case that her parents picked up on their honeymoon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

“We postponed our honeymoon trip to the summer because of dissertation work, and then had to repostpone it because the work kept not finishing,” he said in a biography page on the Nobel website.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Japan votes in snap elections Sunday with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hoping to turn a honeymoon start into a resounding ballot box victory that could rile China and rattle financial markets.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

"There will be at least a brief honeymoon period," Koichi Nakano says.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

Fresh from his honeymoon with Marcela’s niece, the twenty-six-year-old operator of Baltimore’s Pimlico Racecourse had never given up on the idea of staging a War Admiral-Seabiscuit match race.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand