🪶 To grow feathers 🐣 To raise birds 🏹 To add feathers

to fledge

1 8.2

Care for young birds until they can fly

verb
/flɛdʒ/

Specialized

: criar

The bird watchers saw the mother bird fledge her chicks until they were ready to take flight.
a full-fledged bird
a fully fledged bird
become full-fledged

Examples

After months of care, the rescue center finally helped the injured hawk fledge successfully.
Helping my students grow from kindergarteners into fully fledged readers and writers in just one year is an extraordinary process.

Academic text (2012)
As the young robins continued to fledge, they learned to spread their wings and flap strongly.

Antonyms

to abandon

607 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

neglect

94 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

How Much Care

to fledge

Specialized

1 8.2

to rear

20 3.4

to raise

∞ 1.4

to care for

378 1.0

to tend

162 1.0

to look after

455 1.1

Surface Forms

fledge infinitive

fledged past

fledged past participle

fledging present participle

fledges third person singular

Etymology

Fledge comes from an old idea of 'feather' or 'to grow feathers'. So, when we say people 'fledge' young birds, it means they care for and raise them until the chicks have feathers and can fly.