butterfly
Americannoun
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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:
Thatcher, his latest anointed icon, fares no better than a butterfly pinned to his mood board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Ten species of butterfly have been spotted in a "mini meadow" in Hull city centre, according to a wildlife group.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
At 34, Le Clos won't compete in as many races this time but is set to be on the blocks for the men's 50m and 100m butterfly events.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
During each solar cycle, sunspots form a "butterfly pattern."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Goedart inspired Maria by portraying all stages of a single species of butterfly on the same page.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
"After the colourful spring with seemingly lots of beautiful butterflies appearing across the UK, it's tempting to assume we're heading for a bumper summer," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Roy said helping the butterflies could be as easy as leaving your garden to become "messy" and "diverse".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
"On these hot, dry days, they can get on with their lives, particularly finding a mate and the females laying eggs to create the new generation of butterflies later in the year."
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Since then, however, she had been "encouraged" by initiatives such as No Mow May, which encourages people to let grassy areas grow wild, increasing the places for butterflies to feed and breed.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 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 recipe calls for a butterflied chicken to be lacquered in a mixture of thyme, black pepper, fennel seed and olive oil, then roasted with garlic, onions, lemon and white wine.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2023
My wife loved the bronzino, served whole, deboned and butterflied.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2022
The butterflied grilled perch recipe is inspired by the chef Sergio Peñuelas, from Nayarit, in Mexico, and his pescado zarandeado.
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2022
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
If you were to watch him at work, you'd see that in the process of butterflying chicken breasts, he'll almost automatically run his knife across his sharpening tool every 15 or 20 seconds.
From The Perdue Chicken Cookbook by Perdue, Mitzi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
