fledge

verb

fledged; fledging

intransitive verb

of a young bird : to acquire the feathers necessary for flight or independent activity
also : to leave the nest after acquiring such feathers

transitive verb

1
: to rear until ready for flight or independent activity
2
: to cover with or as if with feathers or down
3
: to furnish (something) with feathers
feather an arrow

Examples of fledge in a Sentence

The young birds haven't yet fledged.
Recent Examples on the Web If her second chick makes it through the summer, that means 86 percent of Fe’s offspring will have fledged successfully. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024 His expertise will be needed as the fledging league looks to offer events across the globe. Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 25 July 2024 In 1927, slogans were written on kites deriding the Simon Commission, a group appointed by the British Conservative Government to report on the workings of the fledging Indian constitution. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 4 July 2024 Candle Media, the fledging media company backed by private equity player Blackstone, is undergoing a restructure in order to cut costs. Matt Donnelly, Variety, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for fledge 

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

Word History

Etymology

fledge capable of flying, from Middle English flegge, from Old English -flycge; akin to Old High German flucki capable of flying, Old English flēogan to fly — more at fly

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of fledge was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near fledge

Cite this Entry

“Fledge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledge. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fledge

verb
fledged; fledging
1
: to develop the feathers necessary for flying
also : to leave the nest after developing such feathers
2
: to provide with feathers
fledge an arrow

More from Merriam-Webster on fledge

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