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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
Examples of monarch butterfly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
March 12 is National Plant a Flower Day, and folks can celebrate it by planting some milkweed and starting a pollinator garden to help the dwindling numbers of monarch butterflies.
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Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
For 36 years, her family has worked to commercialize milkweed, a wild plant that produces a strong fiber and is the only thing that the caterpillars of imperiled monarch butterflies will eat.
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Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
The dinner's backdrop will be a canvas of American monarch butterflies and Australian Cairns Birdwing butterflies against roses and delphinium for the U.S. and eucalyptus for Australia.
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Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner, 24 Oct. 2023
On one of her nails, the white French tip was replaced with a monarch butterfly wing.
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Staff Author, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024
The event spotlights local wildlife in the Southwest region, including monarch butterflies.
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Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Mar. 2024
Initial impressions of Gracie’s relationships with her neighbors and her eldest son (Cory Michael Smith) also mutate over the course of the movie — not unlike the monarch butterflies that Joe keeps in special habitats throughout their home.
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EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023
After discovering several caterpillars in her backyard, Lawson decided to raise monarch butterflies in her garden as well.
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Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
While the butterfly wintered in Mexico, the organization found that the eastern monarch butterfly colonies took up 2.2 acres of regional forests.
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Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'monarch butterfly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1890, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of monarch butterfly was
in 1890
Dictionary Entries Near monarch butterfly
Cite this Entry
“Monarch butterfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarch%20butterfly. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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
More from Merriam-Webster on monarch butterfly
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about monarch butterfly
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