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
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
eggless
adjective
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.
Verb (1)
though exhausted, I was egged on by spectators to finish the marathon
Recent Examples on the Web
Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 May 2025
Despite the anxiety that was seemingly swallowing the Toronto Maple Leafs whole coming into Game 6 after laying an egg in Game 5, the Leafs kept their playoff demons at bay for one night, and one round, with a 4-2 victory.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Nathan Bomey, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025
Within all those spiraling dialogues, which director Jaki Bradley has egged up to a Gilmore Girls-esque tempo, Margolin starts to lay out the underlying tensions of the group.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egg
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The price of food has remained relatively steady since January.
Diner staples, including tomatoes, bread and chicken saw flat or decreasing prices, while a dozen eggs are up 26%.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 2 May 2025
Despite the anxiety that was seemingly swallowing the Toronto Maple Leafs whole coming into Game 6 after laying an egg in Game 5, the Leafs kept their playoff demons at bay for one night, and one round, with a 4-2 victory.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Verb
Yes, but: Someone recently egged a Tesla Cybertruck in an apparent protest against Elon Musk's political actions with the Trump administration.
—Nathan Bomey, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025
Within all those spiraling dialogues, which director Jaki Bradley has egged up to a Gilmore Girls-esque tempo, Margolin starts to lay out the underlying tensions of the group.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egg
Cite this Entry
“Egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/egg. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
egg
2 of 2 noun1
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
noun1
: 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
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