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

Illustration of monarch butterfly

Illustration of monarch butterfly

Examples of monarch butterfly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Special projects manager Breanna Higgins said the name comes from the monarch butterfly, which symbolizes renewal. Mason Rouser, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 In January 2020, the body of a beloved nature guide who had dedicated his life to protecting the monarch butterfly was found dead in a well in Michoacán, Mexico. Justyna Gudzowska, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2025 Nationally, the population of the orange-and-black monarch butterflies, once seen during summers in the Midwest in the tens of thousands, has decreased by nearly one billion since 1990. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025 There were a little more than 9,000 monarch butterflies tallied in an annual winter count, according to the Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation, down from about 200,000 in each of the last three years. Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for monarch butterfly

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of monarch butterfly was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

“Monarch butterfly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarch%20butterfly. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

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

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