English Sentence Analyser

Use this page to analyse and learn English text. You can copy text into the box below or get a random sentence from our database. Press the Analyse button to get translations of the text and words.

an
1. art. Form of a used before a vowel sound
2. art. (now quite rare) Form of a used before 'h' in an unstressed syllable
3. art. (nonstandard) Form of a used before 'h' in a stressed syllable
4. conj. (archaic) If
5. conj. (archaic) So long as.
An it harm none, do what ye will.
6. conj. (archaic) As if; as though.
7. n. The first letter of the Georgian alphabet, ა (Mkhedruli), Ⴀ (Asomtavruli) or ⴀ (Nuskhuri).
8. prep. In each; to or for each; per.
I was only going twenty miles an hour.
Orange
1. adj. Relating to the Orange Order.
2. n. An evergreen tree of the genus Citrus such as Citrus sinensis.
3. n. The fruit of an orange tree; a citrus fruit with a slightly sour flavour.
4. n. The colour of a ripe fruit of an orange tree, midway between red and yellow.
(color panel, FFA500)
5. n. Orange juice.
6. n. Orange coloured and flavoured cordial.
7. n. Orange coloured and flavoured soft drink.
8. adj. Having the colour of the fruit of an orange tree; yellowred; reddish-yellow.
9. v. To color orange.
10. v. (intransitive) To become orange.
and
1. conj. As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other.
2. conj. Used simply to connect two noun phrases, adjectives or adverbs.
3. conj. Simply connecting two clauses or sentences.
4. conj. Introducing a clause or sentence which follows on in time or consequence from the first.
5. conj. (obsolete) Yet; but.
6. conj. Used to connect certain numbers: connecting units when they precede tens (not dated); connecting tens and units to hundreds, thousands etc. (now often
7. conj. (now colloquial, or literary) Used to connect more than two elements together in a chain, sometimes to stress the number of elements.
8. conj. Connecting two identical elements, with implications of continued or infinite repetition.
9. conj. Introducing a parenthetical or explanatory clause.
10. conj. Introducing the continuation of narration from a previous understood point; also used alone as a question: ‘and so what?’.
11. conj. (now regional or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come,
12. conj. Introducing a qualitative difference between things having the same name; "as well as other".
13. conj. Used to combine numbers in addition; plus (with singular or plural verb).
14. conj. Expressing a condition.:
15. conj. (now US dialect) If; provided that.
16. conj. (obsolete) As if, as though.
17. n. (enm, music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat.
18. n. (UK dialectal) Breath.
19. n. (UK dialectal) Sea smoke; steam fog.
20. v. (UK dialectal, intransitive) To breathe; whisper; devise; imagine.
Black
1. adj. alternative case form of black (of or relating to any of various ethnic groups having dark pigmentation of the skin)
2. adj. (of an object) Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.
3. adj. (of a place, etc) Without light.
4. adj. (sometimes capitalized) Of or relating to any of various ethnic groups having dark pigmentation of the skin.
5. adj. (chiefly historical) Designated for use by those ethnic groups which have dark pigmentation of the skin.
black drinking fountain; black hospital
6. adj. (card games, of a card) Of the spades or clubs suits. Compare red
I got two red queens, he got one of the black queens.
7. adj. Bad; evil; ill-omened.
8. adj. Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen.
He shot her a black look.
9. adj. Illegitimate, illegal or disgraced.
10. adj. (Ireland, informal) Overcrowded.
11. adj. (of coffee or tea) Without any cream, milk or creamer.
Jim drinks his coffee black, but Ellen prefers it with creamer.
12. adj. (board games, chess) Of or relating to the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the "black" set (in chess the set used by the player who moves second) (often regardless of the pieces' ac
The black pieces in this chess set are made of dark blue glass.
13. adj. (typography) Said of a symbol or character that is solid, filled with color. Compare white.
Compare two Unicode symbols: , ☞ = "WHITE RIGHT POINTING INDEX"; , ☛ = BLACK RIGHT POINTING INDEX
14. adj. (politics) Related to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
After the election, the parties united in a black-yellow alliance.
15. adj. Relating to an initiative whose existence or exact nature must remain withheld from the general public.
5 percent of the Defense Department funding will go to black projects.
16. adj. (Ireland, now pejorative) Protestant, often with the implication of being militantly pro-British or anti-Catholic
Originally "the Black North" meant west Ulster
17. adj. 1812, Edward Wakefield, "There is a district, comprehending Donegal, the interior of the county of Derry, and the western side of Tyrone, which is emphatically called by the people "the Black North,"
18. adj. then Protestant east Ulster.1841 March 20 Catholic Herald (Bengal) Vol. 2 No. 1 p. 27 'Even in the "black North"—in " Protestant Ulster"—Catholicity is progessing at a rate that must strike terror in
19. adj. Used in the vernacular name of a species to indicate that it has one or more features that is black or dark, especially in comparison to another species with the same base name.
black birch, black locust, black rhino
20. n. The colour/color perceived in the absence of light, but also when no light is reflected, but rather absorbed.
(colour panel, 000)
21. n. A black dye or pigment.
22. n. A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of black pigment.
23. n. (in the plural) Black cloth hung up at funerals.
24. n. (sometimes capitalised) A person of African, Aborigine, or Maori descent; a dark-skinned person.
25. n. (billiards, snooker, pool, with the) The black ball.
26. n. (baseball) The edge of home plate
27. n. (British) A type of firecracker that is really more dark brown in colour.
28. n. (informal) Blackcurrant syrup (in mixed drinks, e.g. snakebite and black, cider and black).
29. n. (in chess and similar games) The person playing with the black set of pieces.
At this point black makes a disastrous move.
30. n. Part of a thing which is distinguished from the rest by being black.
31. n. (obsolete) A stain; a spot.
32. v. To make black, to blacken.
33. v. To apply blacking to something.
34. v. (British) To boycott something or someone, usually as part of an industrial dispute.
north
1. n. One of the four major compass points, specifically 0°, directed toward the North Pole, and conventionally upwards on a map, abbreviated as N.
Minnesota is in the north of the USA.
2. n. The up or positive direction.
Stock prices are heading north.
3. n. Above or higher
4. n. (physics) The positive or north pole of a magnet, which seeks the magnetic pole near Earth's geographic North Pole (which, for its magnetic properties, is a south pole).
5. adj. Of or pertaining to the north; northern.
He lived in north Germany.
She entered through the north gate.
6. adj. Toward the north; northward.
7. adj. (meteorology) Of wind, from the north.
The north wind was cold.
8. adj. Pertaining to the part of a corridor used by northbound traffic.
north highway 1
9. adj. (colloquial) More or greater than.
The wedding ended up costing north of $50,000.
10. adv. Toward the north; northward.
Switzerland is north of Italy.
We headed north.
11. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To turn or move toward the north.
American
1. n. Originally, a native or inhabitant of the British North American colonies of European descent; now, a person born in, or a citizen or inhabitant of, the United States of America.
2. n. An indigenous inhabitant of the Americas; a Native American or an American Indian (now chiefly with qualifying word).
3. n. An inhabitant of the Americas. More often this is specified as either North American, Central American or South American.
Every American's origin is, historically speaking, by immigration, if scientific speculation that points to a human origin in Africa and a migration to the New World from Eurasia turns out to b
4. n. (US printing rare dated) A size of type smaller than German, 1-point type.
5. adj. Of or pertaining to the Americas. More often this is specified with a qualifier, such as "North American", "Central American", "South American", etc.
6. adj. Of, from, or pertaining to the United States of America, its people or its culture.
Thanksgiving is an American tradition.
He married an American woman in order to get an American passport.
7. adj. (finance) (of an option, not comparable) Can be exercised on any date between the issue date and the expiry date.
butterfly
1. n. A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring.
2. n. A use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed.
butterfly tape
3. n. (swimming) The butterfly stroke.
4. n. (now rare) Someone seen as being unserious and (originally) dressed gaudily; someone flighty and unreliable.
5. v. To cut (food) almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.
butterflied shrimp
Butterfly the chicken before you grill it.
6. v. To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across (a gaping wound) to close it.
So
1. n. A Mon-Khmer-speaking people of Laos and Thailand.
2. conj. In order that.
Eat your broccoli so you can have dessert.
3. conj. With the result that; for that reason; therefore.
I was hungry so I asked if there was any more food.
He ate too much cake, so he fell ill.
He wanted a book, so he went to the library.
“I need to go to the bathroom.”―“So go!”
4. conj. (archaic) Provided that; on condition that, as long as.
5. adv. To the (explicitly stated) extent that.
It was so hot outside that all the plants died. He was so good, they hired him on the spot.
6. adv. (informal) To the (implied) extent.
I need a piece of cloth so long. = this long
7. adv. (informal) Very (positive clause).
He is so good!
8. adv. (informal) Very (negative clause).
It’s not so bad. i.e. it's acceptable
9. adv. (slang) Very much.
But I so want to see the Queen when she visits our town! That is so not true!
10. adv. In a particular manner.
Place the napkin on the table just so. If that's what you mean, then say so; (or do so).
11. adv. In the same manner or to the same extent as aforementioned; also.
Just as you have the right to your free speech, so I have the right to mine. Many people say she's the world's greatest athlete, but I don't think so. "I can count backwards from on
12. adv. (with as) To such an extent or degree; as.
so far as; so long as; so much as
13. adj. True, accurate.
That is so. You are responsible for this, is that not so?
14. adj. In that state or manner; with that attribute. A proadjective that replaces the aforementioned adjective phrase.
15. adj. (dated, UK, slang) Homosexual.
Is he so?
16. interj. Used after a pause for thought to introduce a new topic, question or story.
So, let's go home.
So, what'll you have?
So, there was this squirrel stuck in the chimney...
17. interj. (Short for) so what.
"You park your car in front of my house every morning." — "So?".
18. interj. Used to connect previous conversation or events to the following question.
So how does this story end?
So, everyone wants to know - did you win the contest or not?
19. interj. (archaic) Be as you are; stand still; (used especially to cows; also used by sailors.)
20. pron. abbreviation of someone
21. n. (music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.
22. n. (foods) A type of dairy product made in Japan between the seventh and 10th centuries.
named
1. adj. Having a name.
2. v. simple past tense and past participle of name
name
1. n. Any nounal word or phrase which indicates a particular person, place, class, or thing.
I've never liked the name my parents gave me so I changed it at the age of twenty.
2. n. Reputation.
3. n. An abusive or insulting epithet.
Stop calling me names!
4. n. A person (or legal person).
5. n. Those of a certain name; a race; a family.
6. n. (computing) A unique identifier, generally a string of characters.
7. n. (finance) An investor in Lloyds of London bearing unlimited liability.
8. n. Authority.
Halt in the name of the law!
9. v. To give a name to.
One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting.
(audio One visitor named Hou Yugang said he was not too concerned about climate change and Baishui’s melting.ogg Audio (US))
10. v. To mention, specify.
He named his demands.
You name it!
11. v. To identify as relevant or important
naming the problem
12. v. To publicly implicate.
The painter was named as an accomplice.
13. v. To designate for a role.
My neighbor was named to the steering committee.
14. v. (Westminster system politics) To initiate a process to temporarily remove a member of parliament who is breaking the rules of conduct.
15. n. Any of several types of true yam (Dioscorea) used in Caribbean Spanish cooking.
because
1. adv. (archaic) For the reason (that).
2. adv. On account (of), for sake (of).
My life is ruined because of you!
3. adv. Used alone to refuse to provide a full answer a question begun with "why", usually taken as an anapodoton of the elided full phrase "Because I said so".
4. conj. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.
I hid myself because I was afraid.
5. conj. As is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that.
It must be broken, because I pressed the button and nothing happened.
I don't think he is a nice person, because he yells at people for no reason.
6. conj. (obsolete) So that, in order that.
7. prep. (uncommon, slang) On account of, because of.
I went to the store because hungry.
it
1. pron. The third-person singular personal pronoun that is normally used to refer to an inanimate object or abstract entity, also often used to refer to animals.
Put it over there.
Take each day as it comes.
I heard the sound of the school bus - it was early today.
2. pron. A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a child, especially of unknown gender.
She took the baby and held it in her arms.
3. pron. Used to refer to someone being identified, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation.
It's me. John.
Is it her?
4. pron. The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement. (known as the dummy pronoun or weather it)
It is nearly 10 o’clock.
It’s 10:45 read ten-forty-five.
It’s very cold today.
It’s lonely without you.
5. pron. The impersonal pronoun, used without referent in various short idioms.
stick it out
live it up
rough it
6. pron. The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object; known as the dummy pronoun or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive. The delayed subject i
It is easy to see how she would think that. (with the infinitive clause headed by to see)
I find it odd that you would say that. (with the noun clause introduced by that)
It is hard seeing you so sick. (with the gerund seeing)
He saw to it that everyone would vote for him. (with the noun clause introduced by that)
It is not clear if the report was true. (with the noun clause introduced by if)
7. pron. All or the end; something after which there is no more.
Are there more students in this class, or is this it?
That's it—I'm not going to any more candy stores with you.
8. pron. (chiefly pejorative, offensive) A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an animate referent who is transgender or is neither female nor male.
9. pron. (obsolete) (Followed by an omitted and understood relative pronoun): That which; what.
10. det. (obsolete) its
11. n. One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being.
12. n. The person who chases and tries to catch the other players in the playground game of tag.
In the next game, Adam and Tom will be it…
13. n. (British) The game of tag.
Let's play it at breaktime.
14. n. Sex appeal, especially that which goes beyond beauty.
15. n. (euphemism) Sexual activity.
caught them doing it
16. adj. (colloquial) Most fashionable.
Is
1. n. plural of I
2. v. third-person singular present indicative of be
He is a doctor. He retired some time ago.
Should he do the task, it is vital that you follow him.
3. n. plural of i
remember to dot your is
be
1. v. (intransitive, now literary) To exist; to have real existence.
2. v. (with there, or dialectally it, as dummy subject) To exist.
There is just one woman in town who can help us. (or, dialectally:) It is just one woman in town who can help us.
3. v. (intransitive) To occupy a place.
The cup is on the table.
4. v. (intransitive) To occur, to take place.
When will the meeting be?
5. v. (intransitive, in perfect tenses, without predicate) Elliptical form of "be here", "go to and return from" or similar.
The postman has been today, but my tickets have still not yet come.
I have been to Spain many times.
Moscow, huh? I've never been, but it sounds fascinating.
6. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject and object are the same.
Knowledge is bliss.
Hi, I’m Jim.
7. v. (transitive, copulative, mathematics) Used to indicate that the values on either side of an equation are the same.
3 times 5 is fifteen.
8. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject plays the role of the predicate nominal.
François Mitterrand was president of France from 1981 to 1995.
9. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to connect a noun to an adjective that describes it.
The sky is blue.
10. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to indicate that the subject has the qualities described by a noun or noun phrase.
The sky is a deep blue today.
11. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the passive voice.
The dog was drowned by the boy.
12. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form the continuous forms of various tenses.
The woman is walking.
I shall be writing to you soon.
We liked to chat while we were eating.
13. v. (archaic, auxiliary) Used to form the perfect aspect with certain intransitive verbs, most of which indicate motion. Often still used for "to go".
14. v. (transitive, auxiliary) Used to form future tenses, especially the future periphrastic.
I am to leave tomorrow.
I would drive you, were I to obtain a car.
15. v. (transitive, copulative) Used to link a subject to a measurement.
This building is three hundred years old.
I am 75 kilograms.
He’s about 6 feet tall.
16. v. (transitive, copulative, with a cardinal numeral) Used to state the age of a subject in years.
I’m 20. (= I am 20 years old.)
17. v. (with a dummy subject) it Used to indicate the time of day.
It is almost eight. (= It is almost eight o’clock.)
It’s 8:30 read eight-thirty in Tokyo.
What time is it there? It’s night.
18. v. (With since) Used to indicate passage of time since the occurrence of an event.
It has been three years since my grandmother died. (similar to My grandmother died three years ago, but emphasizes the intervening period)
It had been six days since his departure, when I received a letter from him.
19. v. (often, impersonal, with it as a dummy subject) Used to indicate weather, air quality, or the like.
It is hot in Arizona, but it is not usually humid.
Why is it so dark in here?
20. v. (dynamic/lexical "be", especially in progressive tenses, conjugated non-suppletively in the present tense, see usage notes) To exist or behave in a certain way.
"What do we do?" "We be ourselves.".
Why is he being nice to me?
similar
1. adj. Having traits or characteristics in common; alike, comparable.
2. adj. (mathematics) Of geometrical figures including triangles, squares, ellipses, arcs and more complex figures, having the same shape but possibly different size, rotational orientation, and position; in
3. n. That which is similar to, or resembles, something else, as in quality, form, etc.
4. n. (homeopathy) A material that produces an effect that resembles the symptoms of a particular disease.
to
1. part. A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive.
I want to leave.
He asked me what to do.
I don’t know how to say it.
I have places to go and people to see.
2. part. As above, with the verb implied.
"Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to, but it was closed.".
If he hasn't read it yet, he ought to.
3. part. A particle used to create phrasal verbs.
I have to do laundry today.
4. prep. Indicating destination: In the direction of, and arriving at.
We are walking to the shop.
5. prep. Used to indicate purpose.
He devoted himself to education.
They drank to his health.
6. prep. Used to indicate result of action.
His face was beaten to a pulp.
7. prep. Used after an adjective to indicate its application.
similar to ..., relevant to ..., pertinent to ..., I was nice to him, he was cruel to her, I am used to walking.
8. prep. (obsolete,) As a.
With God to friend (with God as a friend); with The Devil to fiend (with the Devil as a foe); lambs slaughtered to lake (lambs slaughtered as a sacrifice); t
9. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate a ratio or comparison.
one to one = 1:1
ten to one = 10:1.
I have ten dollars to your four.
10. prep. (arithmetic) Used to indicate that the preceding term is to be raised to the power of the following value; indicates exponentiation.
Three squared or three to the second power is nine.
Three to the power of two is nine.
Three to the second is nine.
11. prep. Used to indicate the indirect object.
I gave the book to him.
12. prep. (time) Preceding.
ten to ten = 9:50; We're going to leave at ten to (the hour).
13. prep. Used to describe what something consists of or contains.
Anyone could do this job; there's nothing to it.
There's a lot of sense to what he says.
14. prep. (Canada, UK, Newfoundland, West Midlands) At.
Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y.
15. adv. Toward a closed, touching or engaging position.
Please push the door to.
16. adv. (nautical) Into the wind.
17. adv. misspelling of too
but
1. prep. (obsolete, outside, Scotland) Outside of.
Away but the hoose and tell me whae's there.
2. prep. Apart from, except (for), excluding.
Everyone but Father left early.
I like everything but that.
Nobody answered the door when I knocked, so I had no choice but to leave.
3. adv. Merely, only, just.
4. adv. (Australian, conjunctive) Though, however.
I'll have to go home early but.
5. adv. Used as an intensifier.
Nobody, but nobody, crosses me and gets away with it.
6. conj. (following a negative clause or sentence) On the contrary, but rather (introducing a word or clause that contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence without the negation).
I am not rich but (I am) poor; not John but Peter went there.
7. conj. However, although, nevertheless, on the other hand (implies that the following clause is contrary to prior belief or contrasts with or contradicts the preceding clause or sentence).
She is very old but still attractive.
You told me I could do that, but she said that I could not.
8. conj. Except that (introducing a subordinate clause which qualifies a negative statement); also, with omission of the subject of the subordinate clause, acting as a negative relative, "except one that", "ex
I cannot but feel offended.
9. conj. (archaic) Without its also being the case that; unless that (introducing a necessary concomitant).
It never rains but it pours.
10. conj. (obsolete) Except with; unless with; without.
11. conj. (obsolete) Only; solely; merely.
12. conj. (obsolete) Until.
13. n. An instance or example of using the word "but".
It has to be done – no ifs or buts.
14. n. (Scotland) The outer room of a small two-room cottage.
15. n. A limit; a boundary.
16. n. The end; especially the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end; the butt.
17. v. (archaic) Use the word "but".
But me no buts.
smaller
1. adj. comparative form of small: more small
2. adv. comparative form of small: more small
than
1. conj. (obsolete, outside, dialects, usually used with for) Because; for.
2. conj. Used in comparisons, to introduce the basis of comparison.
she's taller than I am; she found his advice more witty than helpful; we have less work today than we had yesterday; it's bigger than I thought it was
3. prep. introduces a comparison, and is associated with comparatives, and with words such as more, less, and fewer. Typically, it seeks to measure the force of an adjective or similar description between two
Patients diagnosed more recently are probably surviving an average of longer than two years.
4. adv. (now chiefly dialectal) At that time; then.
the
1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already
I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.)
The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.)
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird.
2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause.
The street that runs through my hometown.
3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time.
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe.
God save the Queen!
4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item.
That was the best apple pie ever.
5. art. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive.
That apple pie was the best.
6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class.
7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective.
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar.
No one in the whole country had seen it before.
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning.
9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun.
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”)
10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention.
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery.
11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives.
The hotter the better.
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks.
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children.
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it.
12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone.
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it.
It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it.
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that.
monarch
1. n. The ruler of an absolute monarchy or the head of state of a constitutional monarchy.
2. n. The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, and other of genus Danaus, found primarily in North America, so called because of the designs on its wings.
3. n. (AU, slang) Police.
4. n. (often capitalised) A stag which has sixteen or more points or tines on its antlers.
5. n. The chief or best thing of its kind.
butterfly
1. n. A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring.
2. n. A use of surgical tape, cut into thin strips and placed across an open wound to hold it closed.
butterfly tape
3. n. (swimming) The butterfly stroke.
4. n. (now rare) Someone seen as being unserious and (originally) dressed gaudily; someone flighty and unreliable.
5. v. To cut (food) almost entirely in half and spread the halves apart, in a shape suggesting the wings of a butterfly.
butterflied shrimp
Butterfly the chicken before you grill it.
6. v. To cut strips of surgical tape or plasters into thin strips, and place across (a gaping wound) to close it.

Dictionary entries from Wiktionary