hatchling

noun

hatch·​ling ˈhach-liŋ 

: a recently hatched animal

Examples of hatchling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gharials are notoriously difficult to breed, and Fort Worth zookeepers spent more than a decade manipulating environmental conditions before the first four hatchlings made their appearance in 2023. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2026

In some areas of Lakes Michigan and Huron, almost no hatchlings have survived to adulthood for two decades. — CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Even though these dinos were huge, their eggs were tiny — about 1/18,000 the size of the adult dinosaur— and could have contained about 4 liters of liquid, with hatchlings weighing around 4 kilograms (about 9 pounds). — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026

The project, dubbed Octo-Blu, launched in 2024 and spent its first phase in the lab, where researchers worked out how to raise the hatchlings in tanks. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hatchling

noun

hatch·​ling ˈhach-liŋ 

: a recently hatched animal