egg

I. egg¹ S1 W2 /eɡ/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old Norse]
1. BIRD [countable] a round object with a hard surface, that contains a baby bird, snake, insect etc and which is produced by a female bird, snake, insect etc:
Blackbirds lay their eggs in March.
an ostrich egg
The eggs hatch (=break open to allow the baby out) in 26 days.
2.
FOOD [uncountable and countable] an egg, especially one from a chicken, that is used for food
fried/poached/boiled etc eggs
Joe always has bacon and egg for breakfast.
Whisk the egg white (=the white part) until stiff.
Beat in two of the egg yolks (=the yellow part). ⇨ scrambled egg
3. EGG SHAPE [countable] something the same shape as an egg:
a chocolate Easter egg ⇨ Easter egg
4. ANIMALS/PEOPLE [countable] a cell produced by a woman or female animal that combines with ↑sperm (=male cell) to make a baby SYN ovum
5. (have) egg on your face if someone, especially someone in authority, has egg on their face, they have been made to look stupid by something embarrassing:
The Pentagon’s been left with egg on its face.
6. put all your eggs in one basket to depend completely on one thing or one course of action in order to get success, so that you have no other plans if this fails:
When planning your investments, it’s unwise to put all your eggs in one basket.
7. lay an egg American English informal to fail or be unsuccessful at something that you are trying to do
8. good egg old-fashioned someone who you can depend on to be honest, kind etc
⇨ kill the goose that lays the golden egg at kill¹(14), ⇨ nest egg

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

egg

egg [egg eggs egged egging] noun, verb [eɡ] [eɡ]

noun

1. countable a small oval object with a thin hard shell produced by a female bird and containing a young bird; a similar object produced by a female fish, insect, etc
• The female sits on the eggs until they hatch.
• The fish lay thousands of eggs at one time.

• crocodile eggs

2. countable, uncountable a bird's egg, especially one from a chicken, that is eaten as food
• a boiled egg
• bacon and eggs
• fried/poached/scrambled eggs
• Bind the mixture together with a little beaten egg.
• You've got some egg on your shirt.
• egg yolks/whites
• egg noodles
• ducks'/quails' eggs
• a chocolate egg (= made from chocolate in the shape of an egg)

see also Easter egg, Scotch egg

3. countable (in women and female animals) a cell that combines with a sperm to create a baby or young animal
Syn: ovum
• The male sperm fertilizes the female egg.
• an egg donor
see also nest egg
more at a chicken-and-egg situation, problem, etc. at chicken _n., the curate's egg at curate, kill the goose that lays the golden eggs at kill _v., you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs at omelette, sure as eggs is eggs at sure _adv., teach your grandmother to suck eggs at teach
Word Origin:
n. Middle English ey Old English ǣg Old Norse
v. Middle English Old Norse eggja ‘incite’

Collocations:
The living world
Animals
animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on sth)
fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
insects/bees/locusts swarm
bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
spiders spin/weave a web
snakes/lizards shed their skins
bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
attract/find/choose a mate
produce/release eggs/sperm
lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
mark/enter/defend (a) territory
stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
Plants and fungi
trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
a seed germinates/sprouts
leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
flower buds swell/open
a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes sth
pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
produce/bear fruit
develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
Bacteria and viruses
bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on sth
bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize sth/cause disease
bacteria break sth down/convert sth (into sth)
a virus enters/invades sth/the body
a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
contain/carry/harbour (especially US) harbor bacteria/a virus
kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
Example Bank:
• Brush the pastry with a little beaten egg.
• Crack two eggs into the mixture.
• Many reptiles bury their eggs.
• Many women conceive through the use of a donor egg.
• Only one sperm fertilizes an egg.
• Separate the eggs, putting the whites to one side.
• She lays a clutch of four eggs on average.
• The males stay and guard the eggs.
• We're just decorating eggs for the egg hunt.
• a breakfast of bacon and eggs
Idioms: good egg ▪ have egg on over your face ▪ put all your eggs in one basket

Derived: egg somebody on

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

egg / eɡ / noun (FOOD)

A1 [ C or U ] the oval object with a hard shell that is produced by female birds, especially chickens, eaten as food:
a hard-boiled/soft-boiled egg
How do you like your eggs - fried or boiled?
[ C ] an object that is made in the shape of a bird's egg:
a chocolate/marble egg

egg / eɡ / noun (REPRODUCTION)

B2 [ C ] an oval object, often with a hard shell, that is produced by female birds and particular reptiles and insects, and contains a baby animal that comes out when it is developed:
The cuckoo lays her egg in another bird's nest.
After fourteen days the eggs hatch .
[ C ] a cell produced by a woman or female animal from which a baby can develop if it combines with a male sex cell:
Identical twins develop from a single fertilized egg that then splits into two.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

egg

[e̱g]
♦♦
eggs, egging, egged
1) N-COUNT An egg is an oval object that is produced by a female bird and which contains a baby bird. Other animals such as reptiles and fish also lay eggs.
  ...a baby bird hatching from its egg.
  ...ant eggs.
2) N-VAR In Western countries, eggs often means hen's eggs, eaten as food.
  Break the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat them lightly.
  ...bacon and eggs.
3) N-COUNT: usu supp N Egg is used to refer to an object in the shape of a hen's egg.
  ...a chocolate egg.
4) N-COUNT An egg is a cell that is produced in the bodies of female animals and humans. If it is fertilized by a sperm, a baby develops from it.
  It only takes one sperm to fertilize an egg.
5) → See also Easter egg, nest egg, Scotch egg
6) PHRASE: usu v PHR If someone puts all their eggs in one basket, they put all their effort or resources into doing one thing so that, if it fails, they have no alternatives left.
  The key word here is diversify; don't put all your eggs in one basket.
7) PHRASE: face inflects, have/with PHR If someone has egg on their face or has egg all over their face, they have been made to look foolish.
  If they take this game lightly they could end up with egg on their faces.
8) a chicken and egg situation
the goose that lay the golden egg
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - egg on

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹egg /ˈɛg/ noun, pl eggs
1 [count] : a hard-shelled oval thing from which a young bird is born
• The egg will hatch about 10 days after it is laid. also; : an oval or round thing from which a snake, frog, insect, etc., is born
2 : the egg of a bird (especially a chicken) eaten as food

[count]

• poached/fried/boiled eggs
• hard-boiled/soft-boiled eggs
• the smell of rotten eggs
• (US) scrambled eggs
• I bought a carton of eggs.
• (US) They served us bacon and eggs for breakfast. = (Brit) They served us eggs and bacon for breakfast.
• an Easter egg [=an egg that is specially decorated at Easter]

[noncount]

• (Brit) scrambled egg
• a batter made from flour and egg
• egg white(s)/yolk
3 [count] biology : a cell that is produced by the female sexual organs and that combines with the male's sperm in reproduction
• The egg is fertilized by the sperm.
- called also ovum,
4 [count] : something that is shaped like a bird's egg
• a chocolate egg
bad egg informal + somewhat old-fashioned : someone who does bad things
• He was dishonest, but he was the only bad egg in the group.
curate's egg

egg on your face
✦If you have egg on your face you appear foolish, usually because something that you said would happen has not happened.
• The unexpected election result left a lot of journalists with egg on their faces.
good egg informal + somewhat old-fashioned : a likeable person
• I've known Jim for years. He's a good egg.
lay an egg US informal : to fail completely : to fail in a very obvious or embarrassing way
• He used to be a very popular star, but his last two movies have laid an egg.
put all your eggs in one basket
✦If you put all your eggs in one basket, you risk all you have on the success or failure of one thing (such as an investment), so that if something goes wrong you could lose everything.
• Investors should diversify their investments instead of putting all their eggs in one basket. [=instead of investing all their money in one company or one kind of company]
the goose that lays the golden egg