egg
egg — noun
1. an oval food from chickens or other birds; its firm outer covering is cracked op
an oval food from chickens or other birds; its firm outer covering is cracked open when people cook and eat it
Quinn cracked two eggs into the frying pan for breakfast before school.
crack + number + egg(s) for cooking
Maja boiled an egg and sliced it over her salad for lunch.
The recipe needs three large eggs and a cup of flour to make the cake.
recipe instruction with quantity
Salma bought a dozen eggs at the farm stand to bake her mother a birthday cake.
a dozen eggs — common purchase quantity
Kevin put the hard-boiled egg in cold water so the shell came off easily.
- fry/scramble/boil/poach an egg
- egg white
- egg yolk
- dozen eggs
- free-range eggs
- hard-boiled egg
2. the rounded container, often with a shell, that a female bird, reptile, insect,
the rounded container, often with a shell, that a female bird, reptile, insect, or fish produces, inside which a baby animal grows until it is ready to come out
The mother turtle laid her eggs in the sand and then returned to the sea.
lay eggs — of animals
Hyun watched the butterfly eggs on the leaf turn into tiny caterpillars over two weeks.
The zookeeper checked the temperature in the incubator where the snake eggs were kept warm.
Tariro explained how birds sit on eggs until the chicks hatch out.
sit on / hatch eggs — incubation process
- lay an egg
- hatch an egg
- egg shell
- egg nest
- incubate eggs
- clutch of eggs
- spawn
used specifically for fish, frogs, and other aquatic animals that lay many small eggs at once
Usage Note
Used for birds, reptiles, insects, fish, and amphibians. Most mammals do not lay eggs — their young develop inside the mother's body.
Common Mistakes
3. a decorative or ornamental item that looks like a bird's egg, often made of choc
a decorative or ornamental item that looks like a bird's egg, often made of chocolate, wood, stone, or metal
The children decorated chocolate eggs with colourful wrappers for Easter.
chocolate eggs as Easter treat
Asher brought back a carved wooden egg from Japan and set it on his desk.
Sirin discovered a small jade egg in her grandmother's jewellery box among old brooches.
The museum shop sold tiny golden eggs for twenty dollars each as souvenirs.
- chocolate egg
- Easter egg
- carved egg
- decorated egg
- ornament
broader term; an egg-shaped object is a type of ornament
Usage Note
Often used for decorative items, especially chocolate eggs at Easter, or carved ornaments made from stone, metal, or wood.
Common Mistakes
4. a tiny cell inside a female person or animal that can join with a sperm from a m
a tiny cell inside a female person or animal that can join with a sperm from a male to begin forming a baby
Ms. Okonkwo showed the class a diagram of how a woman releases one egg each month.
biological term — female reproductive cell
Dr. Antonia showed Imran how the egg meets a sperm cell under a microscope.
Sana showed her biology class how an egg travels through the fallopian tube after ovulation.
concrete classroom scenario — diagram explanation
Dr. Gabriel explained to Tariq how a sperm cell enters an egg during fertilisation.
clinic consultation — patient explanation
- release an egg
- fertilise an egg
- egg cell
- egg donor
- egg retrieval
- sperm
the male reproductive cell that joins with the egg
Usage Note
Formal term in biology and medicine. In everyday conversation, people usually say 'egg' in the food sense (noun sense 1), not this biological sense.
Common Mistakes
5. a way of describing someone's character, used in informal expressions where 'goo
a way of describing someone's character, used in informal expressions where 'good egg' means a trustworthy or kind person and 'bad egg' means an untrustworthy or unpleasant one
Lend him the money — he is a good egg and will pay you back.
good egg — trustworthy person
Everyone knew the new manager was a bad egg who could not be trusted.
bad egg — untrustworthy person
People call Mr. Santos a decent old egg because he always helps carry shopping bags upstairs.
Tanvi's classmates called her a good egg because she never let anyone down.
- good egg
- bad egg
- decent egg
- old egg
Usage Note
Always used with a modifier such as 'good', 'bad', 'decent', or 'old'. You cannot say 'He is an egg' to mean any person.
Common Mistakes
6. a final result in ice hockey where neither team has managed to score any goals,
a final result in ice hockey where neither team has managed to score any goals, shown as zero to zero on the scoreboard
In the final ice hockey match, neither team scored and the game ended in an egg.
egg — zero-zero score in ice hockey
Fans left the stadium frustrated after the final whistle confirmed an egg on the scoreboard.
Both goalies played well, but neither team scored, and the match finished as an egg.
Fans joked that the scoreboard showed a big zero shaped like an egg after the boring ice hockey game.
- end in an egg
- break the egg
Usage Note
Only used in ice hockey. Not used for other sports; a score of 0-0 in football or basketball is called a draw or a tie.
Common Mistakes
egg on
phrasal verbto encourage someone to do something, especially something unwise or risky, often by cheering or applying pressure
Asher's friends egged him on to jump into the cold river, and he finally did it.
The crowd kept egging the speaker on, cheering every time she raised her voice.
to depend completely on one single plan or idea for success, taking a big risk because there is no backup if it fails
Amihan applied to only one university, and her father warned her not to put all her eggs in one basket.
Tomas put all his savings into his cousin's restaurant — his mother warned him that was putting all his eggs in one basket.
to look foolish or feel embarrassed because something you said or predicted turned out to be wrong
Kevin predicted the team would win easily, but after the loss he had egg on his face.
The weather reporter said it would be sunny, and now with this storm she has egg on her face.
to ruin something that regularly provides you with money or benefits by being greedy or making a short-sighted decision
By raising the rent so high, the landlord killed the goose that laid the golden eggs — now all the shops are empty.
A situation where it is unclear which of two things caused the other.
Mia and Tom's argument was a chicken-and-egg problem about who started it.
Is poverty a cause or effect of crime? That's a chicken-and-egg situation.
the/a curate’s egg
idiomSomething that has both good and bad qualities.
Sara described the movie as a curate's egg, with great acting but a weak plot.
The new policy is a curate's egg: it helps small businesses but hurts the environment.
a good/bad egg
idiomA person who is considered reliable or unreliable based on their character.
Everyone trusts Diego because he is a good egg who always keeps his promises.
After he lied to us, we realized he was a bad egg and avoided him.
To be embarrassed because something you did or predicted went wrong.
Brian had egg on his face when his weather forecast was completely wrong.
The CEO was left with egg all over his face after the product launch failed.
To ruin a reliable source of income or success by being greedy or careless.
By overfishing, the company killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.
If you raise prices too high, you'll kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
Used to emphasize that something is absolutely certain to happen or be true.
As sure as eggs is eggs, the sun will rise tomorrow morning.
He'll be late again, as sure as eggs is eggs.
To give advice to someone who is more experienced than you.
Trying to explain cooking to Chef Ana is like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs.
Don't teach your grandmother to suck eggs; she has been doing this for years.
You cannot achieve a big goal without causing some minor problems or losses.
The manager said, 'You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs,' when layoffs were needed.
To build a new school, we must demolish old buildings. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
egg — verb
1. to throw eggs at a person, building, or statue in order to show anger or disappr
to throw eggs at a person, building, or statue in order to show anger or disapproval
Protesters egged the politician's car during the rally outside city hall.
egg + [target] as protest
Some angry fans egged the referee's car after the controversial match ended.
Paloma got egged by a stranger while walking home late at night near the park.
passive: get egged
The mayor's house was egged overnight by vandals who disliked the new law.
- egg a building
- egg a car
- get egged
- egg a politician
- pelt
to throw things at someone or something, can involve eggs or other objects
Usage Note
Often used in the passive voice ('get egged' / 'was egged'). Egging is a form of public protest or vandalism, not an act of celebration.
Common Mistakes
2. to spread a thin layer of mixed raw egg onto the surface of food before cooking
to spread a thin layer of mixed raw egg onto the surface of food before cooking it, which helps other ingredients stick and gives the cooked food a shiny, brown finish
Before frying chicken tenders, the chef egged each piece and coated it with breadcrumbs.
egg + [ingredient] onto [food] for coating
Egg the pastry surface with a brush before putting it in the oven.
imperative: egg the surface — cooking instruction
Élise egged each pastry roll carefully so the crust would turn a nice golden colour.
Before baking the bread rolls, the baker egged the tops to make them shine.
- egg the pastry
- egg the surface
- egg before breading
- egg wash
- brush with egg
a clearer phrase meaning the same action
Usage Note
Common in recipes and cooking instructions. The beaten egg is usually applied with a brush. This sense is often used in the imperative ('egg the pastry').
Common Mistakes
Word family
- egg-shapedadjectiveB2
- egglessadjectiveB1
- eggcupnounB1
- eggshellnounB1
- egg-whitenounB1
- egg-yolknounB1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
While 'egg' in its food sense is the whole oval object, related terms refer to specific parts or preparations. 'Egg white' (also called albumen) is the clear liquid around the yolk that turns white when cooked — it is high in protein but low in fat. 'Egg yolk' is the round yellow centre, rich in fat and flavour, often used to thicken sauces or make mayonnaise. An 'omelette' is a cooked dish made from beaten eggs fried in a pan, often with fillings like cheese or vegetables — it is a preparation, not an ingredient. 'Ovum' is the formal biological term for a female reproductive cell, rarely used in cooking contexts. When shopping for ingredients, you ask for 'eggs', not 'ova'; when ordering breakfast, you order 'eggs' or 'an omelette', not 'egg whites' unless you specifically want only the white part.
Common collocations
Nouns
- egg production
- egg farm
- egg carton
- egg allergy
- egg substitute
Phrases
Prepositions
- egg on (surface)
- egg with (a brush)
Etymology
The word 'egg' comes from Old English 'æg', which goes back to a very old Germanic root shared by modern German 'Ei' and Dutch 'ei'. This Germanic word probably came from an even older Indo-European root that also produced Latin 'ovum', Greek 'ōión', and Russian 'jajco' — all meaning 'egg'. The spelling 'egg' became standard in the 16th century, replacing earlier forms like 'ey' and 'egge'.