firefly
Americannoun
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fireflies
plural
noun
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any nocturnal beetle of the family Lampyridae , common in warm and tropical regions, having luminescent abdominal organs See also glow-worm
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any tropical American click beetle of the genus Pyrophorus , esp P. noctiluca , that have luminescent thoracic organs
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of firefly
Explanation
Fireflies are flying beetles that glow in the dark. If you gently catch a firefly between your palms, you can watch its light flicker on and off for a while, and then let it go. Depending on where you live, you may call fireflies "lightning bugs" or "glowworms." There are fewer of these light-emitting insects on the planet than there used to be, but you can still find places where they gather in groups at dusk, glowing and flickering like stars. Contrary to their name, fireflies aren't flies, but instead belong to a family of beetles with an amazing ability to produce a luminous light.
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:
The number of applications for parking spots at Great Smoky Mountains National Park during the annual eight-night firefly viewing period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
And then a single firefly flies out over the house, which is lovely.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2025
“It takes the light coming from the firefly and bends it and amplifies it so we can see it in glorious detail,” he told BBC News.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2024
Emotionally, after riding through a cavern featuring a frog-led band with a firefly chorus, all creating a rousing, sing-along take on “Dig a Little Deeper,” the mood is one of pure uplift.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2024
The orb then turns into a firefly, and the insect starts to fly away.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Animals such as fireflies produce their own light through chemical reactions, while fluorescent organisms must first absorb light from their surroundings.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026
"We live practically like fireflies here -- in the dark all the time. You never know when you'll have power; it's our sad reality," Julian Gonzalez, a 72-year-old carpenter, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Nature-loving travelers from around the globe are bugging out over the fireflies, descending en masse on isolated stretches of the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
In a way, all animals make rhythms, whether in the form of fireflies flashing, birds chirping or even a tiger pacing back and forth.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025
Lanterns bobbed about in the darkness like fireflies as the great Joseph Bell tolled out a message of joy and hope to Mossflower.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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