[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/firefly/)

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# firefly

noun (a firefly, fireflies)

«firefly» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A small flying beetle whose tail glows with a soft light at night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#m1)
2. Another name some people use for a glow-worm or any insect that makes its own light. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons fireflies show bioluminescence: a living thing making light by a chemical reaction in its body, with almost no heat. In stories they stand for summer evenings, magic and wonder. Phrases: «catch fireflies», «a jar of fireflies», «fireflies blink/flash».

### Examples

- We watched fireflies blinking over the meadow on a warm summer night. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x1)
- A firefly makes light without getting hot. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x2)
- Fireflies flash in patterns to find a partner. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x3)
- My little brother caught a firefly in his hands and then let it go. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x4)
- Fireflies are not flies at all; they are beetles. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x5)
- In the story, the lost girl followed the fireflies home. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x6)
- If you put fireflies in a jar, make holes in the lid and free them soon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x7)
- Great suns spurted fire about, splendid fireflies flew into the blue air, and everything was reflected in the clear, calm sea beneath. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/#x8)

### Note

Plural: fireflies (y → ies). Called «lightning bugs» in much of the USA; in the UK, Australia and New Zealand the common glowing insects are glow-worms. Trap: despite the name, a firefly is a beetle, not a fly, and it has nothing to do with fire. Countable.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «firefly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/F/firefly/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«firefly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/firefly.html) on Mova free.