Over the moon means extremely happy and delighted about something. The image is easy to remember: you are so happy that you seem to fly higher than the moon. The idiom is informal and more common in British English. It fits IELTS Speaking when you talk about good news, but in an IELTS essay use delighted instead.
When would you say over the moon?
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be + over the moon + about/with + noun; be over the moon + when/that + clause
- My parents were over the moon when I told them I'd passed my driving test.
- She's over the moon about her new job in Barcelona.
- The kids were over the moon with their new puppy.
What changed
First versionMy sister was over the moon from her exam results.
RevisionMy sister was over the moon about her exam results.
From may seem logical, because the happiness comes from the news, but it is the wrong preposition here. After over the moon, name the reason with about or with: over the moon about the news. If the reason is a whole event, introduce it with when or that. The only change is from to about.
Over the moon is stronger than happy or pleased: it is real delight, not just a good mood. About finding a free parking space you would say I was pleased, but about getting into university: I was over the moon when I got in.
Your turn
When Lena found out she had got into her dream university, she was ___.
Show the answer
over the moon — Getting into your dream university is huge news, so Lena is over the moon. Under the weather means feeling slightly ill and doesn't fit news like this.
Write about some news or a present that made you or someone close to you extremely happy. Say who was happy and what exactly they were happy about.
My grandmother was over the moon about the photo book we made for her eightieth birthday.
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