butterfly
Americannoun
-
butterflies
plural
-
any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.
-
a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another.
a social butterfly.
-
(used with a plural verb) butterflies, a queasy feeling, as from nervousness, excitement, etc.
-
a racing breaststroke, using a dolphin kick, in which the swimmer brings both arms out of the water in forward, circular motions.
-
Carpentry. butterfly wedge.
-
Sculpture. an X -shaped support attached to an armature.
-
one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.
-
Movies. a screen of scrim, gauze, or similar material, for diffusing light.
verb (used with object)
adjective
noun
-
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
-
a person who never settles with one group, interest, or occupation for long
-
a swimming stroke in which the arms are plunged forward together in large circular movements
-
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 gatekeeper was the most commonly spotted butterfly in Devon and Cornwall.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Other insects that had seen an increase in their numbers locally included the clouded yellow butterfly, a European migratory species known to have "peak" years during unusually hot summers.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The screen behind her returned to the blue butterfly image that was on all the signs and banners and flags for the rally, and Natalie took a deep breath.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
"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
Younger students have been using the outdoor classroom areas to talk and play games, while others have been watching figeater beetles and butterflies visit flowering trees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Give the book points, though, for including Ms. Korsgaard’s brilliantly colored illustrations of the butterflies she encountered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The team found 111 relevant studies involving butterflies in Bangladesh.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
My butterflies kick me, jab me with their flags, making the reality of Rhys, the parts of him I chose to not see so that I could see what I wanted, crystallize in my mind.
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
My favorite part of this recipe is that it stretches your dollar by using an entire, butterflied chicken instead of individual breasts or thighs.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2023
Then there’s butterflied branzino, one side painted red, the other green, with sauces coaxed from guajillo mayonnaise and tomatillo and serrano, respectively.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 30, 2022
Instead, she butterflied a pork belly and rolled it around a pork loin, fat side out.
From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021
I sat as far away from him as possible without falling off the bench, elbows butterflied to give me even more room.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
“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
For some butterfly watchers, even a gentle netting is too disturbing, and they advocate butterflying with special binoculars that feature a short focal point.
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
He came butterflying and frog-kicking down the final lap of the 220-yard breaststroke race to win.
From Time Magazine Archive
But I like the Professor; and his philosophic views have an interest for me that they evidently 56do not possess for natures which will be always butterflying about.
From Happy-Thought Hall by Sir F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
