often attributive
1
: a young bird just fledged (see fledge sense 1)
a bird feeding her fledglings
2
: an immature or inexperienced person
fledgling medical students
3
: one that is new
a fledgling company
Examples of fledgling in a Sentence
a female bird feeding her fledglings
at hockey he's still a fledgling and needs to work on his basic skating skills
Recent Examples on the Web
Beshear’s not-yet-candidacy, still in the fledgling phase, offers a mix of aspiration and admonition.
—
Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Five years ago, Tyler Ballgame was living at home in Rhode Island, singing cover songs and fronting a fledgling local indie rock band.
—Millan Verma, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
In contrast, greater non-native foliage density was associated with later and smaller clutch sizes and a reduced number of fledglings.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Musk, OpenAI alleges, in fact agreed that OpenAI needed to transition to a for-profit company, and only quit because executives rebuffed his effort to secure total control of the fledgling AI lab and merge it with Tesla.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
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Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Five years ago, Tyler Ballgame was living at home in Rhode Island, singing cover songs and fronting a fledgling local indie rock band.
—Millan Verma, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
In contrast, greater non-native foliage density was associated with later and smaller clutch sizes and a reduced number of fledglings.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Musk, OpenAI alleges, in fact agreed that OpenAI needed to transition to a for-profit company, and only quit because executives rebuffed his effort to secure total control of the fledgling AI lab and merge it with Tesla.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
Cite this Entry
“Fledgling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledgling. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fledgling
noun
fledg·ling
ˈflej-liŋ 
1
: a young bird just fledged
2
: an immature or inexperienced person
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