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
If Pashinyan perseveres and the fledgling peace with Baku holds, the biggest losers will be Moscow and Tehran, both of which will forfeit an erstwhile ally in the South Caucasus.
—
Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
However, rather than feature matches on the fledgling streaming service, Apple instead launched Season Pass for an additional subscription solely for MLS games.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2025
The report noted that even as Haiti’s security forces managed to successfully push back gangs from some neighborhoods in recent months, police, the country’s fledgling army, an international armed force and private security contractors were unable to regain control of some areas.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
Evidence of Hurricane Michael’s destruction can still be seen in the fledgling sweetgum, magnolia, oak, and hickory trees sprouting with new growth.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
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Ilan Berman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025
However, rather than feature matches on the fledgling streaming service, Apple instead launched Season Pass for an additional subscription solely for MLS games.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 13 Nov. 2025
The report noted that even as Haiti’s security forces managed to successfully push back gangs from some neighborhoods in recent months, police, the country’s fledgling army, an international armed force and private security contractors were unable to regain control of some areas.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
Evidence of Hurricane Michael’s destruction can still be seen in the fledgling sweetgum, magnolia, oak, and hickory trees sprouting with new growth.
—Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fledgling
Cite this Entry
“Fledgling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledgling. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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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