laying an egg

phrase

present participle of lay an egg
1
as in fumbling
to make a mistake His book report was going perfectly until he laid an egg and got the main character's name wrong.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in collapsing
to be unsuccessful The gymnast nailed perfect landings on her first two vaults but really laid an egg on the third.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for laying an egg
  1. dropping the ball
  2. falling short
  3. falling flat
Phrase
  • Last year, the fair attracted almost 330,000 visitors — no sign that Sedalia is dropping the ball.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
Definition of dropping the ball
Phrase
  • Before the call, Sinclair reported mixed results for the April-to-June period, nipping analysts’ consensus revenue forecast but falling short of estimates for net losses per share.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The Galaxy Watch 9 matched its predecessor exactly, falling short of Samsung's estimate and lasting 26 hours with the always-on display enabled.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of falling short
Phrase
  • But the execution was dead on arrival, with the whole thing falling flat on its face.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The trick to making the formula feel dynamic is mixing materials, as a blend of textures helps prevent your ensemble from falling flat.
    — Kelsey Stewart, Glamour, 10 July 2026
Definition of falling flat
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

laying
laying an egg
laying away
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Cite this Entry

“Laying an egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laying%20an%20egg. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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