hatchling

noun

hatch·​ling ˈhach-liŋ How to pronounce hatchling (audio)
: a recently hatched animal

Examples of hatchling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Braun told these hatchlings that they were too wedded to script, and needed to learn how to let sound tell the story. Literary Hub, 20 May 2026 Biologists from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife collected the turtle hatchlings from sites in the Gorge last spring and transported them to the zoo conservation lab. Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026 Two bald eagles hatchlings have been spotted in a nest in a Chicago park in what city officials believe is the raptors' first successful wild breeding in the Windy City in more than a century. ABC News, 13 May 2026 That might also explain why the nest isn’t doing well, as mourning doves work in unison to care for the eggs and later, the hatchlings. Joan Morris, Mercury News, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for hatchling

Word History

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hatchling was in 1854

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Cite this Entry

“Hatchling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hatchling. Accessed 22 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

hatchling

noun
hatch·​ling ˈhach-liŋ How to pronounce hatchling (audio)
: a recently hatched animal
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