monarch butterfly

noun

: a large migratory American butterfly (Danaus plexippus) that has orange-brown wings with black veins and borders and a larva that feeds on milkweed

Illustration of monarch butterfly

Examples of monarch butterfly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, that said, there are not a huge number of butterflies in California this year, monarch butterflies specifically. —Ari Daniel, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 May 2025

About the eastern monarch butterfly Monarch butterfly migration patterns The two monarch populations can migrate as far as 3,000 miles. —Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025

The population of monarch butterflies nearly doubled in population in 2024-25 versus 2023-24, according to a survey released Thursday by the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas. —Megan Forrester, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2025

There’s a monarch butterfly and corn kernels and profiles of Honest Abe. —Mark Harris, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for monarch butterfly

• canaliculi
• dwi
• micronuclei
• oversimplify
• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify

Kids Definition

monarch butterfly

noun

: a large orange and black American butterfly that migrates in large numbers in the spring and fall and whose larva feeds on milkweed