break a butterfly upon a wheel

A form of break a butterfly upon the wheel — To inflict a punishment out of all proportion to the offence.

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Meanings

verbbreak a butterfly upon a wheel (third-person singular simple present breaks a butterfly upon a wheel, present participle breaking a butterfly upon a wheel, simple past broke a butterfly upon a wheel, past participle broken a butterfly upon a wheel)

present singular third person breaks a butterfly upon a wheel · participle present breaking a butterfly upon a wheel · past broke a butterfly upon a wheel · participle past broken a butterfly upon a wheel

  1. alternativeAlternative form of break a butterfly upon the wheel.
Cite this entry
APA

break a butterfly upon a wheel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20a%20butterfly%20upon%20a%20wheel

MLA

“break a butterfly upon a wheel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20a%20butterfly%20upon%20a%20wheel. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break a butterfly upon a wheel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20a%20butterfly%20upon%20a%20wheel.

Source: break a butterfly upon a wheel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.