Illustration of firefly
firefly
noun
fire·fly
ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌflī 
: any of various winged nocturnal beetles (especially family Lampyridae) that produce a bright soft intermittent light by oxidation of luciferin especially for courtship purposes
Examples of firefly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a breeze, the solar lights sway softly, flickering like fireflies.
—
Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.
—Ginny Tapley Takemori
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The views up high are incomparable at night, when lights in the surrounding hills twinkle like fireflies.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
Its primary food source is the winter firefly (Diaphanes lampyroides), which attracts mates with a continuous, non-flashing light.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firefly
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Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 2025
The lives of the two children in the story, aged fourteen and four, are portrayed as being as fleeting as the fireflies, and the story is an unsentimental and unflinching account with moments of both tenderness and heartlessness.
—Ginny Tapley Takemori
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The views up high are incomparable at night, when lights in the surrounding hills twinkle like fireflies.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
Its primary food source is the winter firefly (Diaphanes lampyroides), which attracts mates with a continuous, non-flashing light.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for firefly
Cite this Entry
“Firefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firefly. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
firefly
noun
fire·fly
ˈfī(ə)r-ˌflī
: any of numerous night-flying beetles that produce a bright soft flashing light for courtship purposes
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