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Meaning & use

egg

noun, verb·Everyday

Last updated

UK/eɡ/
US/eɡ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    An oval object with a shell, laid by a female bird, reptile, or other animal, often eaten as food.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an egg', 'two eggs', 'some eggs'.

    Patterns

    • lay an egg
    • hatch an egg
    • a boiled/fried egg

    The hen laid three eggs this morning.

    We had scrambled eggs for breakfast.

    Birds sit on their eggs to keep them warm.

  2. nouncountablebiology

    A cell produced by a female animal that can develop into a baby after fertilization.

    Grammar: Often used in biology; can be called an 'egg cell' or 'ovum' in technical contexts.

    Patterns

    • fertilize an egg
    • an egg cell

    The sperm must reach the egg for fertilization to occur.

    Each month, one egg is released from the ovary.

    The fertilized egg divides many times to form an embryo.

  3. verbtransitive

    To encourage or urge someone to do something, especially something risky or foolish.

    Grammar: Always used with 'on': 'egg someone on'. Often used in the phrase 'egg on'.

    Patterns

    • egg someone on
    • egg someone on to do something

    His friends egged him on to jump into the cold lake.

    Don't egg her on; she might get hurt.

    The crowd egged the boxer on with loud cheers.

Word forms

pluraleggs
third person singulareggs
past tenseegged
past participleegged
-ing formegging

Common combinations

boiled egg
She ate a boiled egg with salt for breakfast.
fried egg
He cooked a fried egg and put it on toast.
egg shell
The egg shell cracked easily when I dropped it.
lay an egg
The turtle came ashore to lay its eggs.
egg on
They egged him on to sing in front of everyone.

Synonyms and how they differ

ovum
Technical term for a female reproductive cell; used in biology instead of 'egg'.

Word family

eggplant noun
A vegetable with a dark purple skin, named for its egg-like shape.
egghead noun
Informal, often disapproving word for an intellectual person.
eggy adjective
Smelling or tasting of eggs.

Commonly confused: egg or leg?

egg vs leg

A body part or a piece of furniture; don't confuse the spelling with 'egg'.

Practice

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