lightning bug

noun

Examples of lightning bug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This means that when the weather is warm and the time is right, visitors to these light shows won’t just see a few dozen fireflies flashing in the dark, but thousands and thousands of lightning bugs lighting up all at once and then going dark as if someone just flipped a switch. Jason Bittel, Travel, 22 Jan. 2024 Are lightning bugs disappearing from Indiana's night skies? Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 27 June 2022 To film buffs who are buffs, specifically, of film — of movies shot and projected with a physical, photochemical product — comparing IMAX 70-millimeter to IMAX digital, let alone standard digital, is like comparing lightning to the lightning bug. Marc Tracy, New York Times, 18 July 2023 Her own summers as a child were filled with butterflies and lightning bugs. Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 2 July 2023 Flashing fireflies: Also known as lightning bugs, they are best known for their bright flashes. USA Today, 2 June 2023 Fireflies, known as lightning bugs in the South and Midwest, are neither flies nor bugs. Madeline Bodin, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2023 Chen is creating flying lightning bug robots. Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2022 This makes measuring the range and abundance of firefly populations challenging even while fears mount that many lightning bug species are on the road to extinction. Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine, 20 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lightning bug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lightning bug was in 1778

Dictionary Entries Near lightning bug

Cite this Entry

“Lightning bug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightning%20bug. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

lightning bug

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on lightning bug

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