fledge
verb
\ ˈflej
\
\
fledged;
fledging
Definition of fledge
of a young bird
: to acquire the feathers necessary for flight or independent activity
also
: to leave the nest after acquiring such feathers
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
Experts hope that the new baby will be the first of her offspring to successfully fledge, or grow enough to acquire flight feathers and foray out of the nest. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "The California Condor Nearly Went Extinct. Now, the 1000th Chick of a Recovery Program Has Hatched.," 22 July 2019 If a nest is discovered, a pole removal will be delayed until chicks are fledged. — Sara Cardine, La Cañada Valley Sun, "Some worry Edison pole replacements could displace woodpeckers that feed, nest inside," 17 July 2019 Again, this year the process was repeated, starting in mid-April and continuing through May when eggs were hatched, chicks raised and successfully fledged. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Tiny birdhouse an unexpected home for wren family," 6 July 2019 The eaglets just fledged, and this week were venturing away from their home made of sticks — honing skills in flying and picking off rabbits, snakes and prairie dogs. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, "Golden eagles survive amid suburbia of Highlands Ranch, thanks to preservation of natural habitat," 5 July 2019 The owl, not yet fledged, grabbed Bonnie’s shoulder as the starling launched from the top of her head and wildly into the air, only to return to the safety of the teenager’s loose hair. — Tribune News Service, oregonlive.com, "The Man in the Window: Is this the childhood of a serial killer? (Part One)," 22 June 2019 New research shows that those blistering temperatures could have had a major impact on how quickly fledging life-forms evolved. — Quanta Magazine, "Faster Evolution on a Warmer Earth," 12 July 2016 He was accompanied by his friend and mentor Steffie Mizrahi, a pioneer of Paris’s fledging ballroom scene. — Vogue, "Inside Paris’s Burgeoning Ball Scene," 19 Apr. 2019 As a now fully fledged England international, the prospect of sitting on the bench at Stamford Bridge is unthinkable, and the idea of more uncertainty via a new loan move is an equally unattractive. — SI.com, "Why Chelsea's Plan to Loan Out England Star Ruben Loftus-Cheek Proves How Out of Touch the Board Are," 5 July 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fledge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for fledge
fledge
verb
English Language Learners Definition of fledge
of a bird
: to develop the feathers necessary for flying
See the full definition for fledge in the English Language Learners Dictionary