butterfly
Americannoun
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butterflies
plural
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any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.
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a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another.
a social butterfly.
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(used with a plural verb) butterflies, a queasy feeling, as from nervousness, excitement, etc.
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a racing breaststroke, using a dolphin kick, in which the swimmer brings both arms out of the water in forward, circular motions.
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Carpentry. butterfly wedge.
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Sculpture. an X -shaped support attached to an armature.
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one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.
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Movies. a screen of scrim, gauze, or similar material, for diffusing light.
verb (used with object)
adjective
noun
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any diurnal insect of the order Lepidoptera that has a slender body with clubbed antennae and typically rests with the wings (which are often brightly coloured) closed over the back Compare moth
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a person who never settles with one group, interest, or occupation for long
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a swimming stroke in which the arms are plunged forward together in large circular movements
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commerce the simultaneous purchase and sale of traded call options, at different exercise prices or with different expiry dates, on a stock exchange or commodity market
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of butterfly
First recorded before 1000; Middle English boterflye, Old English buttorflēoge; equivalent to butter + fly 1
Explanation
A butterfly is a flying insect with a small body and large, often colorful wings. Some gardeners plant specific flowers that attract butterflies. Butterflies are closely related to moths, which also have wings that are large in proportion to their bodies and antennae. A butterfly is distinctive because of its relatively large size and lovely, patterned wings. After hatching, they start as caterpillars, and eventually build a chrysalis, inside of which they transform into — and emerge as — a butterfly. The origin of butterfly isn't certain, though it may come from some butterflies' pale yellow color.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Cerutti has renaturalised about a third of her 110 hectare property, including 25 hectares that have been turned into wetlands, which are now home to rare species such as the Large Copper butterfly.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
The schoolgirl was named a Games MVP on Sunday to cap an extraordinary showing that saw her scorch to gold in the 200m butterfly and do the 200m-400m individual medley double.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
"The extreme droughts in 1976 and 1995 had severe impacts on butterfly populations, with some species never fully recovering," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Fox said many species were already under pressure, with 80% of the UK's butterfly populations having declined since the 1970s.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
“He did butterfly codes! When he was a spy!”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"Since the first trees were planted, there has been a spectacular increase in butterflies, dragonflies, and biodiversity in general," said the 43-year-old, who took over running the family's Cascina Oschina farm in 2012.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Fresh off the heels of Thom Browne’s New York Fashion Week presentation, where models and dancers embodied bugs and butterflies, the designer exchanged emails with Tyler Matthew Oyer about his creative process.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The magic of metamorphosis in butterflies underscores our capacity for change, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The team found 111 relevant studies involving butterflies in Bangladesh.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding and grab at my stomach, willing the damn butterflies to go away.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
“The shucked abalone is trimmed, butterflied, and thwacked lightly with a mallet.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Indeed, it's easier to place a butterflied bird in a bag of buttermilk than a whole turkey, but the fact remains that you still need quarts of buttermilk and a two-gallon bag.
From Salon ● Nov. 22, 2021
Instead, she butterflied a pork belly and rolled it around a pork loin, fat side out.
From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021
Lucy Campos’s finest dish may be her trucha frita, a butterflied and pan-fried piece of freshwater trout that is buttery and almost begging for a spoonful of fresh pico de gallo.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 2, 2021
Cattle carcasses, flayed and butterflied, flitted past the wide observation window.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
“I came back to butterflying out of the blue - a childhood passion rekindled nine years ago at a butterfly gathering in the Blue Mountains.”
From Washington Times ● Jul. 24, 2016
Unlike the pursuit of birding, butterflying takes place at a civilized hour because butterflies don’t come out until the day warms to at least 60 degrees.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 9, 2016
Jazmin starts by butterflying a chicken thigh with a deft stroke of her knife.
From Salon ● May 21, 2012
Every year sees the appearance of fictional contrivances that pause briefly as larvae in book form before butterflying their way onto the screen.
From Time Magazine Archive
Went butterflying with Chick Chickering today, it is a little early for them, but we got two blew and black ones and three little red ones.
From The Real Diary of a Real Boy by Henry A. (Henry Augustus) Shute
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