lays an egg

phrase

present tense third-person singular of lay an egg
1
as in trips
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 fails
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 lays an egg
  1. drops the ball
  2. falls short
  3. falls flat
Phrase
  • Furious drops the ball a bit in the interactions with Emma and Jay Easton, turning them into one-dimensional caricatures instead of complex villains, but honestly, this show isn’t really about them.
    — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of drops the ball
Phrase
  • An insurance deal falls short of promises Kennedy again took to the HHS stage in June 2025, this time with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, to make what was billed as a game-changing announcement.
    — Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Max Meizlish, a former Treasury official and research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said outright that Monday’s announcement falls short of the objective.
    — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of falls short
Phrase
  • On the downside, the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) isn’t fleshed out enough and the chemistry between Bale and Katie Holmes, as an assistant DA and the childhood friend of Bruce’s, falls flat.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 July 2026
  • The Song of Ice and Fire, passed down from one Targaryen king to another all these years, falls flat here.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
Definition of falls 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

lays
lays an egg
lays away
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lays an egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lays%20an%20egg. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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