to butterfly
- verb
- /ˈbʌtərˌflaɪ/
- Informal
- It's clear that he was just butterflying when he complimented her; he didn't mean anything serious.
Examples
-
You could tell she was butterflying around, making light jokes without any real commitment.
-
He likes to butterfly at parties, charming everyone he meets.
-
Instead of committing to one person, she prefers to butterfly from one flirtation to another.
-
Some people find it annoying when he butterflies around the office.
-
She loves to butterfly with her friends at parties.
-
Don't butterfly around him; he takes relationships seriously.
-
During the party, she started to butterfly with him, laughing and flirting playfully.
Synonyms
Behave playfully or tease someone to show romantic interest
To flirt with someone without wanting a serious relationship
Talk to someone in a friendly way to try to start a romantic relationship
To behave in a playful romantic way without serious interest
Behave in a playful, flirty way to get attention
To act in a flirty way without serious interest
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
An action much stronger than needed against something small and harmless
Compounds
A large orange and black butterfly that travels long distances and whose caterpillars eat milkweed
A small colorful tropical sea fish with a flat body and wide fins, often near coral reefs
- Specialized
A swimming stroke where both arms move forward together and the legs kick like a dolphin
- Specialized
A valve with a flat disc that turns to control or stop the flow of water and air
- Specialized
A small garden plant with thin divided leaves and bright flowers with different colours
A climbing plant with bright blue or purple flowers that people use to make tea and decorate gardens
A flowering plant with colorful, often fragrant flowers that look like butterflies
- Specialized
A medium to large butterfly with bright wings and small front legs not used for walking
A small white butterfly whose caterpillars eat cabbage and other garden plants
A butterfly with jagged wing edges and a white mark shaped like a comma under each hind wing
- Specialized
A large tropical butterfly with short front legs and a bad taste that keeps predators away
A large bright butterfly with blue or green wings found in Africa and parts of Europe and Asia
A small insect with bright wings whose front legs are very small and folded so it walks on four legs
A small southern European orchid with pale green and white flowers that smell sweet
A large orange and black North American butterfly whose caterpillars eat milkweed
A European orchid with large dark green flowers that have a faint smell
- Specialized
A medium to large butterfly with bright wings and very small front legs
A small bright butterfly with orange and black wings that often visits flowers
A small white butterfly whose caterpillars eat cabbage and other garden plants
How Flirtatious
Surface Forms
Etymology
Butterfly meaning to flirt or move from person to person comes from the idea of a butterfly going from flower to flower, so someone who 'butterflies' around moves lightly between people without staying long.