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Synonyms

butterfly

American  
[buht-er-flahy] / ˈbʌt ərˌflaɪ /

noun

plural

butterflies

  1. any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.

  2. a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another.

    a social butterfly.

  3. (used with a plural verb) butterflies, a queasy feeling, as from nervousness, excitement, etc.

  4. a racing breaststroke, using a dolphin kick, in which the swimmer brings both arms out of the water in forward, circular motions.

  5. Carpentry. butterfly wedge.

  6. Sculpture. an X -shaped support attached to an armature.

  7. one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.

  8. Movies. a screen of scrim, gauze, or similar material, for diffusing light.

verb (used with object)

butterflied, butterflying

  1. Cooking. to slit open and spread apart to resemble the spread wings of a butterfly.

adjective

  1. Cooking. split open and spread apart to resemble a butterfly.

    butterfly shrimp; butterfly steak.
butterfly British  
/ ˈbʌtəˌflaɪ /

noun

  1. 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

  2. a person who never settles with one group, interest, or occupation for long

  3. a swimming stroke in which the arms are plunged forward together in large circular movements

  4. 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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • butterflylike adjective

Etymology

Origin of butterfly

First recorded before 1000; Middle English boterflye, Old English buttorflēoge; equivalent to butter + fly 1

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.

Apple's "butterfly" keyboard design - a mechanism introduced in 2015 for laptop keyboards - was a "rare misstep in reliability", said Pickerell.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

If the planting project succeeds, conservationists hope it could help bring the swallowtail – the UK's largest native butterfly – back to the area for the first time in more than a century.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Working with other volunteers, Smee has helped remove invasive plants and plant native species, including 30 oak trees that attract local wildlife like the endangered monarch butterfly, mountain lions and bobcats.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

The Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion is back, with up to 30 butterfly and moth species, as well as an assortment of California plants.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

It had certainly been that way with Cecilia, the beautiful butterfly who had turned out to be a poisonous wasp.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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.