but·ter·fly
ˈbə-tər-ˌflī 
often attributive
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
butterflied; butterflying
: to split almost entirely and spread apart
a butterflied steak
butterflied shrimp
Synonyms
Examples of butterfly in a Sentence
Noun
They competed in the butterfly.
Verb
Butterfly the chicken before roasting.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nneya Richards, Parents, 5 Nov. 2024
In Incheon, Ponti also won the 100 butterfly with a time of 48.81, despite his goggles falling off right after his dive.
—Casey Murphy, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
Participants will learn about specific plants that butterflies and other pollinators love and get tips for planting and caring for them.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for butterfly 
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Noun
Lego Creator 3 in 1 Flowers in Watering Can
$30 $24 at Amazon
This Lego flower set has 420 pieces for kids ages 8 and up to build a watering can with three flowers, butterflies, a boot, and two birds.
—Nneya Richards, Parents, 5 Nov. 2024
In Incheon, Ponti also won the 100 butterfly with a time of 48.81, despite his goggles falling off right after his dive.
—Casey Murphy, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
And the wall is topped with stadium lighting, bright enough to turn night into day, disrupting the circadian rhythms that butterflies use to navigate and feed.
—Outside Online, 9 Oct. 2024
Participants will learn about specific plants that butterflies and other pollinators love and get tips for planting and caring for them.
—Orlando Sentinel Staff, Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for butterfly
Dictionary Entries Near butterfly
Cite this Entry
“Butterfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butterfly. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
butterfly
1 of 2 noun
but·ter·fly
-ˌflī
plural butterflies
1
plural
: a feeling of hollowness or queasiness caused especially by emotional or nervous tension or anxious anticipation
butterfly
2 of 2 adjective
: affecting the part of the face including the cheeks and the bridge of the nose
the typical butterfly lesion of lupus erythematosus
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