egg

1 of 3

noun

ˈeg How to pronounce egg (audio)
ˈāg
often attributive
1
a
: the hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird and especially by the common domestic chicken
also : its contents used as food
b
: an animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum together with its nutritive and protective envelopes and having the capacity to develop into a new individual capable of independent existence
c
: ovum
2
: something resembling an egg
3
: person, sort
a good egg
eggless adjective
eggy
ˈe-gē How to pronounce egg (audio)
ˈā-
adjective

Illustration of egg

Illustration of egg
  • 1 shell
  • 2 outer shell membrane
  • 3 inner shell membrane
  • 4 air space
  • 5 chalaza
  • 6 albumen or white layers
  • 7 yolk layers
  • 8 blastodisc
  • 9 vitelline membrane

egg

2 of 3

verb (1)

egged; egging; eggs

transitive verb

: to incite to action
usually used with on

egg

3 of 3

verb (2)

egged; egging; eggs

transitive verb

1
: to cover with egg
2
: to pelt with eggs
Phrases
egg on one's face
: a state of embarrassment or humiliation

Examples of egg in a Sentence

Noun The egg will hatch about 10 days after it is laid. the smell of rotten eggs I bought a carton of eggs. a batter made from flour and egg The egg is fertilized by the sperm.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The team’s analysis revealed participants who consumed at least 3.53 ounces of whole eggs daily—about two large eggs—had significantly elevated BMD levels in their femurs and spines. Sarah Garone, Health, 23 Mar. 2024 Anna told me the sesame balls, egg tarts and pork turnovers typically sell out fast and won’t be made again until the following day. Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024 Inside is yet more chocolate, a traditional Easter egg feature. Helen Chandler-Wilde, Fortune Europe, 22 Mar. 2024 Perhaps the Easter bunny got a little hungry after hiding all those eggs. Laura Fenton, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 Aravind Srinivas credits Google CEO Sundar Pichai for giving him the freedom to eat eggs. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024 Produce, meats, eggs, baked goods, handcrafted soaps, dog food, tea, CBD products and more. Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 20 Mar. 2024 One day in 2013, Ahmed got a phone call: Ali had been bringing home a breakfast of eggs and yogurt when he was shot in the forehead by a regime sniper. Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Via Vite The Easter buffet at Via Vite includes a mix of breakfast offerings and classic Italian dishes, such as scrambled eggs, French toast with berries compote, handmade crispy gnocchi, and Italian sausage and bean ragout. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
After two armed men dressed in black enter, Gardner eggs them on despite their hesitancy to engage with her. William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024 But Russia will still egg the axis on, encouraging its anti-American designs and working to make its attacks more effective. Hamidreza Azizi, Foreign Affairs, 14 Feb. 2024 While crossing, the singer’s travel companion waited across the street, egging her on. Essence, 2 Feb. 2024 The five bad-mouthed birds seemed to be egging each other on, prompting staffers to separate them and send each one to a different area of the zoo. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024 When juvenile pranksters were caught egging homes in Florida last week, the local sheriff's office used an old-fashioned solution as a punishment. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2024 After losing in a ping pong match, the 43-year-old Average Expectations author believes his ex is egging him on by congratulating the winner of the game right in front of him. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023 Licht — with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav clearly egging him on — cut hundreds of positions, scuttled a nascent streaming service called CNN+ and made questionable programming moves such as placing the provocative Don Lemon on the network’s early-morning program. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Aug. 2023 There’s a much greater chance that his rhetoric would be hugely inflammatory, urging Israel to crush Hamas without regard for innocent Palestinian lives, as well as egging Hezbollah into the conflict. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 23 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'egg.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English egge, from Old Norse egg; akin to Old English ǣg egg, Latin ovum, Greek ōion

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Old Norse eggja; akin to Old English ecg edge — more at edge

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of egg was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near egg

Cite this Entry

“Egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egg. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

egg

1 of 2 verb
: to incite to action : urge
usually used with on
egged us on to fight

egg

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird and especially by domestic poultry
also : its contents used as food
b
: a reproductive body produced by an animal and consisting of an ovum with its food-containing and protecting envelopes and being capable of development into a new individual
c
: a germ cell produced by a female

called also ovum

2
: something shaped like an egg
darning egg
Etymology

Verb

Old Norse eggja "to incite"

Noun

Middle English egge "egg," from early Norse egg (same meaning)

Medical Definition

egg

noun
1
: the hard-shelled reproductive body produced by a bird and especially by the common domestic chicken (Gallus gallus)
2
: an animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum together with its nutritive and protective envelopes and having the capacity to develop into a new individual capable of independent existence
3
: ovum

More from Merriam-Webster on egg

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!