hairstreak

American

[hair-streek] / ˈhɛərˌstrik /

noun

any small, dark butterfly of the family Lycaenidae, subfamily Theclinae, having hairlike tails on the hindwings.

hairstreak British

/ ˈhɛəˌstriːk /

noun

any small butterfly of the genus Callophrys and related genera, having fringed wings marked with narrow white streaks: family Lycaenidae

"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

Etymology

Origin of hairstreak

First recorded in 1810–20; hair + streak

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:

hairstreak

In Grenen, the northernmost point in Denmark, Ms. Korsgaard lies in the sand on her belly to inspect the lyrically named green hairstreak, its wings “jade green on the underside, with a metallic sheen.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

According to The UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, butterflies are in sharp decline, with the white-letter hairstreak species falling by 80% since the survey began in 1973.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

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

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

Orange tip numbers are up more than 40% since 1976, and Black hairstreak - one of the UK's rarest butterflies - is recovering thanks to conservation work.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026

The black hairstreak is endangered, the brown hairstreak and white-letter hairstreak are both vulnerable, and green hairstreak and purple hairstreak have also declined in abundance and distribution since the 1970s.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023