butterfly

noun, often attributive but·ter·fly \ -ˌflī \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 2018

Definition of butterfly

1 : any of numerous slender-bodied diurnal lepidopteran insects including one superfamily (Papilionoidea) with broad often brightly colored wings and usually another superfamily comprising the skippers

2 : something that resembles or suggests a butterfly; especially : a person chiefly occupied with the pursuit of pleasure

3 : a swimming stroke executed in a prone position by moving both arms in a circular motion while kicking both legs up and down

4 butterflies plural : a feeling of hollowness or queasiness caused especially by emotional or nervous tension or anxious anticipation

5 : a defensive move by a goalie in ice hockey executed by dropping to the knees while spreading the lower legs outward

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Examples of butterfly in a Sentence

They competed in the butterfly.

Recent Examples of butterfly from the Web

Nora Mabrey, of Naperville, gets a close-up view of a butterfly during the 2017 SHARE Wings of Hope Angel Garden Blessing & Butterfly Release at Edward Hospital.

— michelle mullins, Naperville Sun, "Naperville News Digest," 1 June 2018
The small business-owning mom fluttered from table to table like a butterfly, keeping all 100 guests happy and laughing.

— beth spotswood, San Francisco Chronicle, "SF’s Crown and Crumpet’s high tea just the thing for royal wedding," 22 May 2018
Khloe’s nursery also features a butterfly mobile that resembles the mobile that Kylie bought for Stormi.

— danielle fox, ELLE Decor, "Khloe Kardashian Shares the First Peek at True’s Adorable Nursery," 21 May 2018
Before the officiant, the Rev. Bill Malbon, a Baptist minister from Richmond, began his short ceremony, Susan Bro, a guest and the mother of Ms. Heyer, was called to the altar to release a handful of butterflies.

— New York Times, "Months After a Brutal Day in Charlottesville, a Tender Wedding," 16 May 2018
Pink dogwoods looked like flocks of butterflies, frozen midflight.

— john kelly, Washington Post, "In spring, a middle-aged man’s fancy turns to blossoms and batteries," 29 Apr. 2018
Todd Esser was a social butterfly and a confident risk-taker.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "'He's right there with us': Louisville baseball honors late super fan Todd Esser," 22 Apr. 2018
Those intervals also are jarringly visually different, from a gorgeous animated sequence showing a butterfly in flight to a gruesome image of a man with body integrity identity disorder trying to saw off his own leg.

— samantha nelson, The Verge, "In season 2, FX’s Legion is still using a familiar genre to tell an extraordinary story," 5 Apr. 2018
These and other populations of the butterfly lay eggs on a plant called Collinsia parviflora.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "How one man’s death led to the extinction of a butterfly population," 10 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'butterfly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of butterfly

before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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butterfly

verb

Definition of butterfly

butterflied; butterflying

transitive verb

: to split almost entirely and spread apart

a butterflied steak

butterflied shrimp

See butterfly defined for English-language learners

Examples of butterfly in a Sentence

Butterfly the chicken before roasting.

Recent Examples of butterfly from the Web

Spatchcocked chicken with fig glaze Serves 4 Also known as butterflying the bird, spatchcocking involves removing the chicken’s backbone with a pair of kitchen shears, and then flattening it before sliding it onto a hot grill.

— sacbee, "It’s prime time for grilling – try these recipes," 13 June 2017
Spatchcocked chicken with fig glaze Serves 4 Also known as butterflying the bird, spatchcocking involves removing the chicken’s backbone with a pair of kitchen shears, and then flattening it before sliding it onto a hot grill.

— sacbee, sacbee.com, "It’s prime time for grilling – try these recipes," 13 June 2017
Slice pork tenderloin lengthwise to butterfly it, but don’t quite slice all the way through: The 2 pieces should remain attached.

— melissa clark, charlotteobserver, "Keep the tender in your pork tenderloin," 6 June 2017

First Known Use of butterfly

1947

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

BUTTERFLY Defined for English Language Learners

butterfly

noun

Definition of butterfly for English Language Learners

: a kind of insect that has a long thin body and brightly colored wings and that flies mostly during the day
: a person who goes to many parties and other social events
: a way of swimming in which the swimmer's face is in the water and the arms move together in a circular motion while the legs kick up and down; also : a race in which the swimmers do the butterfly