fledge

American  

[flej] / flɛdʒ /

verb (used with object)

fledged, fledging

1. to bring up (a young bird) until it is able to fly.

2. to furnish with or as if with feathers or plumage.

3. to provide (an arrow) with feathers.

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verb (used without object)

fledged, fledging

1. (of a young bird) to acquire the feathers necessary for flight.

adjective

1. Archaic. (of young birds) able to fly.

fledge British  

/ flɛdʒ /

verb

1. (tr) to feed and care for (a young bird) until it is able to fly

2. Also called: fletch.  (tr) to fit (something, esp an arrow) with a feather or feathers

3. (intr) (of a young bird) to grow feathers

4. (tr) to cover or adorn with or as if with feathers

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Other Word Forms

• fledgeless adjective

Etymology

Origin of fledge

1350–1400; Middle English flegge (fully-)fledged, Old English *flecge, as variant of -flycge; cognate with Old High German flucki, Middle Low German vlügge (> German flügge ); akin to fly ²

Example Sentences

Once the babies fledge at 35 days, International Bird Rescue plans to release the terns back into the wild.

From Los Angeles Times

Olear said peregrine falcons go from “helpless little chicks to fledging” in about 44 days, but they are also vulnerable to predators.

From Washington Post

"I’ve already got a fledging production company and I’ve had a lot of people who want to invest in me; give me a lot of money to do my thing," he pressed.

From Fox News

But the fledging union got its two cents in.

From Salon

Blue 24 is a bird that fledged from Rutland Water, a reservoir in the East Midlands.

From BBC