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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At the time, the strategy helped the fledgling watchmaker get his business off the ground. Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2024 MacHale and Kandel brought their proposal to Nickelodeon, then still a fledgling cable network. Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 23 Dec. 2024 Investor interest in the fledgling space is still small compared to the billions of dollars that have gushed into AI startups themselves and the companies providing them compute or processing power. Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 There isn't much that grows in the barren ground here, but Taleb points out fledgling mint, garlic and potato plants. Jane Arraf, NPR, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fledgling 

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 15 Jan. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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