duckling

American  

[duhk-ling] / ˈdʌk lɪŋ /

noun

ducklings plural

1. a young duck.

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duckling British  

/ ˈdʌklɪŋ /

noun

1. a young duck

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ducklings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of duckling

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; see origin at duck ¹, -ling ¹

Explanation

A duckling is a baby duck. Ducklings usually learn to swim by following their mother to a body of water. Ducklings, like all birds, hatch from eggs that are typically laid in a nest. Soon after all the ducklings hatch, the mother duck leads them to water, where most kinds of ducks spend the greater parts of their lives. One of literature's most famous ducklings is the one in Hans Christian Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling" — although that duckling, in the end, turned out to be a swan.

Example Sentences

But as a candidate for high-end Austen fan fiction, or a spinoff of the Ugly Duckling variety, she is period-picture-perfect.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

The Ugly Duckling, by Martha Stewart I recently helped a homely little bird transform herself into a beautiful swan.

From Washington Post • May 13, 2021

You’ll remember the story of The Ugly Duckling, about a swan who thought it was a duck.

From The Guardian • Oct. 15, 2019

LaChanze, Ariana DeBose and Storm Lever perform the chanteuse at different moments in her career: Diva Donna, Disco Donna and Duckling Donna.

From New York Times • Mar. 22, 2018

“I think I will go out into the wide world,” said the Duckling.

From Boys and Girls Bookshelf (Vol 2 of 17) Folk-Lore, Fables, And Fairy Tales by Baltzell, W. J. (Winton James)