fledgling

noun

fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ How to pronounce fledgling (audio)
often attributive
1
: a young bird just fledged (see fledge sense 1)
a female 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 That war saw surrounding Arab nations – Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan and Iraq, (with additional forces sent by Saudi Arabia and Yemen) –attack the fledgling state. Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2023 The business has been on a bender, fueled by the availability of cheap debt and optimistic projections about the potential of fledgling streaming platforms. Joe Otterson, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023 South Carolina was responsible for helping Biden turn around his fledgling 2020 campaign, and in return the president help put the Palmetto State ahead of Iowa and New Hampshire on the party’s nominating calendar. Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2023 Only four months ago, Cruise and its rival Waymo received the go-ahead to offer their services in San Francisco around the clock, in a victory for the fledgling industry. Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2023 After the filming, but before the segment aired, Dr. Youn returned home to Detroit, a rookie surgeon launching a fledgling practice. Jolene Edgar, Allure, 15 Nov. 2023 Beijing’s economic clout is considerable, but its capacity to actually shape major policy outcomes elsewhere is more fledgling. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023 The previous Warners regime greenlit the movie in December 2020 as a production for HBO Max, its fledgling streaming service. Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Nov. 2023 The largest Hollywood studios in recent years sought to hold back the sale of movies and TV shows in key territories outside the U.S. in an effort to stock fledgling streaming platforms with high-wattage exclusive content. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 17 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fledgling.' 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

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fledgling was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near fledgling

Cite this Entry

“Fledgling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledgling. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

fledgling

noun
fledg·​ling ˈflej-liŋ How to pronounce fledgling (audio)
1
: a young bird just fledged
2
: an immature or inexperienced person

More from Merriam-Webster on fledgling

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