butterfly
/ˈbʌtərˌflaɪ/
noun
- An insect with large, often colorful wings, found in many parts of the world.
- Children love to watch butterflies flutter from plant to plant.
- The butterfly's wings were bright blue with black edges.
- A beautiful monarch butterfly landed on the flower in the garden.
- A swimming stroke performed face down, moving both arms together in a circular motion and kicking the legs together like a dolphin.
- The butterfly is the most physically demanding swimming stroke.
- She won the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly at the competition.
- He practiced his butterfly technique every morning at the pool.
- A temporary feeling of nervousness or excitement in the stomach, often used in the plural form 'butterflies'.
- She felt butterflies when she saw her crush walk into the room.
- The actor admitted he still gets butterflies before every performance.
- I always get butterflies in my stomach before a big exam.
verb
- To split food (such as meat, fish, or shrimp) almost in half and spread it open flat, usually for cooking.
- The recipe says to butterfly the chicken breasts before marinating them.
- Learn how to butterfly a shrimp in just a few simple steps.
- He butterflied the fish so it would cook evenly on the grill.