fledge

UK: /flɛdʒ/ US: (flej)

Inflections of 'fledge' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

fledges

v 3rd person singular

fledging

v pres p

fledged

v past

fledged

v past p

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

fledge  (flej), v., fledged, fledg•ing, adj. 
v.t. 

1. Birds to bring up (a young bird) until it is able to fly.
2. Birds to furnish with or as if with feathers or plumage.
3. to provide (an arrow) with feathers.

v.i. 

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

adj. 

5. [Archaic.] (of young birds) able to fly.

• 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 fly¹

fledge′less, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fledge / flɛdʒ/ verb

1. (transitive) to feed and care for (a young bird) until it is able to fly
2. Also called: fletch (transitive) to fit (something, esp an arrow) with a feather or feathers
3. (transitive) to cover or adorn with or as if with feathers

Etymology: Old English -flycge, as in unflycge unfledged; related to Old High German flucki able to fly; see fly¹