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

Examples of monarch butterfly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Topanga Canyon was the second-largest overwintering site for monarch butterflies this winter in Los Angeles County according to counts by the Xerces Society, a nonprofit focusing on the conservation of invertebrates. —Anton Sorokin, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025

In North America, researchers have had some success tracking monarch butterflies, known for their remarkable migration from southern Canada and the northern United States to central Mexico. —Saugat Bolakhe, JSTOR Daily, 23 Jan. 2025

Improve monarch butterfly habitats near Chinatown Project Monarch L.A. will host a volunteer day from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Los Angeles State Historic Park near Chinatown. —Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified monarch butterflies as endangered in 2022. —Gayoung Lee, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for monarch butterfly

• canaliculi
• dwi
• micronuclei
• oversimplify
• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify

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