hatchling
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of hatchling
Explanation
A hatchling is a baby bird that's just hatched from an egg. Any other animal that hatches from an egg is also a hatchling. Since you are human, you are NOT a hatchling. While hatchling is most often used for a young bird, newly-born turtles, tadpoles, and newts are all hatchlings too. Sometimes people find bird hatchlings in distress and nurse them back to health. Occasionally, these hatchlings seem to see their human caregivers as parents. Hatchling uses the diminutive -ling suffix, like the words gosling or duckling.
Vocabulary lists containing hatchling
The Wild Robot
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The View from Saturday
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Wolf Hollow
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Earlier work by Kayla Goforth, Catherine Lohmann, Ken Lohmann and their colleagues showed that hatchling loggerheads can learn to associate a specific magnetic field with the arrival of food.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2025
In 2022, they had one hatchling and another egg, which did not hatch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2025
Despite his antics, the giant predator is adored, having joined Mr Sullivan’s household as a hatchling the same day his daughter was born 22 years ago.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2024
The fluid would have had the additional benefit of nourishing the hatchling mammals once they broke out.
From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2024
The hatchling was far too young to be helpful.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
