fledge

[ flej ]

/ flɛdʒ /

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verb (used with object), fledged, fledg·ing.

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

to furnish with or as if with feathers or plumage.

to provide (an arrow) with feathers.

verb (used without object), fledged, fledg·ing.

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

adjective

Archaic. (of young birds) able to fly.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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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 fly²

OTHER WORDS FROM fledge

fledgeless, adjective

Words nearby fledge

fleck, Flecker, flection, fled, Fledermaus, Die, fledge, fledged, fledgling, fledgy, flee, fleece

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fledge in a sentence

And look here, Fledge, why do William's toes turn out at such a fearful angle?
The Halo|Bettina von Hutten
But will and means, In mortals, for the cause ye well discern, With unlike wings are fledge.
The Vision of Paradise, Complete|Dante Alighieri
At that tyme my cat got a fledge yong sparrow which had onely a right wyng naturally.
The Private Diary of Dr. John Dee|John Dee
I've watched 'em break shell an' come out an' fledge an' learn to fly an' begin to sing, till I think I'm one of 'em.
The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett

In 1814 he was ready to say, "Byron hits the mark where I don't even pretend to fledge my arrow."
Sir Walter Scott as a Critic of Literature|Margaret Ball

British Dictionary definitions for fledge

fledge

/ (flɛdʒ) /

verb

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

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

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

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

Word Origin for fledge

Old English -flycge, as in unflycge unfledged; related to Old High German flucki able to fly; see fly 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012