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View synonyms for butterfly

butterfly

[ buht-er-flahy ]

noun

, plural but·ter·flies.
  1. any of numerous diurnal insects of the order Lepidoptera, characterized by clubbed antennae, a slender body, and large, broad, often conspicuously marked wings.
  2. a person who flits aimlessly from one interest or group to another:

    a social butterfly.

  3. butterflies, (used with a plural verb) Informal. a queasy feeling, as from nervousness, excitement, etc.
  4. a racing breaststroke, using a dolphin kick, in which the swimmer brings both arms out of the water in forward, circular motions.
  5. Carpentry. butterfly wedge.
  6. Sculpture. an X -shaped support attached to an armature.
  7. one of the swinging brackets of a butterfly table.
  8. Movies. a screen of scrim, gauze, or similar material, for diffusing light.


verb (used with object)

, but·ter·flied, but·ter·fly·ing.
  1. Cooking. to slit open and spread apart to resemble the spread wings of a butterfly.

adjective

  1. Cooking. split open and spread apart to resemble a butterfly:

    butterfly shrimp; butterfly steak.

butterfly

/ ˈbʌtəˌflaɪ /

noun

  1. any diurnal insect of the order Lepidoptera that has a slender body with clubbed antennae and typically rests with the wings (which are often brightly coloured) closed over the back Compare moth lepidopteran
  2. a person who never settles with one group, interest, or occupation for long
  3. a swimming stroke in which the arms are plunged forward together in large circular movements
  4. commerce the simultaneous purchase and sale of traded call options, at different exercise prices or with different expiry dates, on a stock exchange or commodity market
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Other Words From

  • butter·flylike adjective adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of butterfly1

First recorded before 1000; Middle English boterflye, Old English buttorflēoge; equivalent to butter + fly 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of butterfly1

Old English buttorflēoge ; the name perhaps is based on a belief that butterflies stole milk and butter
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Example Sentences

South Florida’s Big Cypress National Preserve is as good a spot to see the butterflies as any.

It’s not all honey and butterflies in our relationship with insects.

Someone who likes their alone time might not have a brain response that is as strong as someone who is a social butterfly.

This technology was demonstrated in artistic replicas of dancing butterflies, fluttering leaves, and blooming flowers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

From Fortune

Scientists have observed insects — especially butterflies, bees and flies — crawling into the eyes of animals.

“When you become a peshmerga your life becomes like a butterfly,” she said.

So, to commemorate her 75th birthday, the two got matching butterfly tattoos on their wrists.

This video remedies that injustice, showcasing an owl doing a butterfly stroke in Lake Michigan.

A small wooden cabinet with two butterfly doors held ropes and chains, candles, and sex toys.

The labels included a picture of a butterfly on a blade of grass.

She became my sweetheart, temporarily; but a born butterfly, she soon fluttered away, leaving me disconsolate—for a time!

Out by the hill, a butterfly, snow white, rested a moment on the young girl's hair.

In Leeming-street it was in the chrysalis state; in Fishergate the butterfly epoch has been reached.

A filmy and diaphanous creature was Mrs. Patton also—one could never have dreamed of so exquisite a black butterfly.

I hate to think that he may become a social butterfly on account of his title, but a stanza from Calverly haunts my memory.

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