Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for butterflies. Search instead for butteries.
Synonyms

butterflies

British  
/ ˈbʌtəˌflaɪz /

plural noun

  1. informal tremors in the stomach region due to nervousness

"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

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.

That’s especially true of romance readers, who are generally regarded as the social butterflies of the book community.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

So far, 11 hairstreak butterflies and three hairstreak caterpillars have been spotted in the area.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

White-letter hairstreak butterflies are hard to spot, as they fly around the tops of tall elm trees.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Even among more adaptable butterflies, the picture is mixed.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 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

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.