Meaning & use
a butterfly
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Meanings
nouncountable
An insect with a thin body and four large, usually colorful wings.
Grammar: Countable: 'a butterfly', 'two butterflies'. The plural is 'butterflies'.
Patterns
- a butterfly lands on something
- catch a butterfly
- butterflies in your stomach
A butterfly landed on the flower.
The garden is full of butterflies in summer.
She caught a butterfly in her net and then let it go.
noununcountablesport
A way of swimming in which you move both arms forward together over your head.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the swimming style: 'swim butterfly'. Often used as 'the butterfly stroke'.
Patterns
- swim (the) butterfly
- the butterfly stroke
He swam the butterfly in the final race.
She is training for the 100-meter butterfly.
The butterfly is the hardest stroke for many swimmers.
nounpluralfigurative
A nervous feeling in your stomach, especially before something important.
Grammar: Usually plural in the phrase 'butterflies in your stomach'.
Patterns
- butterflies in your stomach
- get butterflies
- have butterflies
I always get butterflies before a big exam.
She had butterflies in her stomach on her first day at work.
He felt butterflies as he walked onto the stage.
Word forms
| plural | butterflies |
|---|
Common combinations
- a butterfly lands
- A butterfly landed gently on her hand.
- butterflies in your stomach
- I had butterflies in my stomach before the interview.
- the butterfly stroke
- The butterfly stroke requires strong shoulders.
- a butterfly net
- The children took a butterfly net to the meadow.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moth
- A similar insect but usually active at night and less brightly colored; moths are not called butterflies.
Word family
- butterfly noun
- The insect itself; also used in compounds like 'butterfly effect'.
Commonly confused: a butterfly or flutter?
a butterfly vs flutter
A verb meaning to move lightly like wings; 'butterfly' is the insect, 'flutter' is the movement.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'butterfly' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Butterfly' refers to an insect, so 'a butterfly in her garden' is correct. The other options confuse it with a fish, a pet, or a swimming stroke in the wrong context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a butterfly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.