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

Snap a photo of a monarch butterfly or caterpillar. —Brooke Baitinger september 6, Sacbee.com, 6 Sep. 2025

At the event, volunteers were armed with large white butterfly nets and headed down the Hank Aaron Trail to track down and tag the super generation’s monarch butterflies, Steinhauer said. —Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025

The Monarch Butterfly Safari Who would have thought that the best place to spot monarch butterflies was an hour’s drive northwest of Mexico City? —Gaby Keiderling, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025

Every fall, migrating monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles through Arizona to overwintering sites in Mexico. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 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