egg
gb/ˈɛɡ/ us/ˈɛɡ/
A1
English
~ 1600
tojás, petesejt, heccel, hergel
NOUN
A1
1
tojás
A1
Usage pattern:
[bird] lays [an egg]
The hen laid an egg this morning.
A tyúk ma reggel tojt egy tojást.
I like my breakfast with two fried eggs.
A reggelimet két tükörtojással szeretem.
The nest contained three small eggs.
She carefully placed the egg into the boiling water.
We found a broken egg on the ground.
Learner examples
The bird has an egg.
A madárnak van egy tojása.
I eat an egg every day.
Mindennap eszem egy tojást.
The egg is white and yellow inside.
The hen makes an egg.
The egg is in the nest.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'egg' with 'omelet' or 'yolk', but an egg is the whole item before cooking or processing.
Meaning
Bird's reproductive body
Collocations
boiled egg
|fried egg
|scrambled eggs
|egg yolk
|egg shell
Synonyms
ovum (More scientific or biological term, not commonly used in daily speech for food.)
Antonyms
chick (Refers to the hatched young bird, opposite in life stage to an egg.)
Themes
animals
|food
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A round object with a shell that comes from a bird and contains a baby bird before it hatches.
A round or oval object with a hard or leathery shell produced by a bird, containing the developing embryo and its food supply.
NOUN
B1
2
petesejt
B2
In humans, the egg is released once a month from the ovary.
Nőknél a petesejt havonta egyszer szabadul ki a petefészekből.
The scientist studied how the egg develops after fertilization.
A tudós azt vizsgálta, hogyan fejlődik a petesejt a megtermékenyítés után.
An unfertilized egg cannot grow into an embryo.
Learner examples
A woman has eggs in her body.
A nő testében petesejtek vannak.
An egg can grow into a baby.
Egy petesejtből baba fejlődhet.
The man’s sperm meets the woman’s egg.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this meaning with the bird's egg used for food; here it refers to a microscopic cell.
Meaning
Female reproductive cell
Collocations
fertilized egg
|donor egg
|egg cell
Synonyms
ovum (Scientific term; identical meaning but more formal.)
Antonyms
sperm (Male reproductive cell, opposite biological role to an egg.)
Themes
biology
|health
|body
|science
Definition
A cell from a female that can grow into a baby when joined with a male cell.
A female reproductive cell, especially in animals and humans, that can develop into a new individual when fertilized.
VERB
B2
INFORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
to egg [someone] on to [do something]
His friends egged him on to jump into the cold river.
A barátai heccelték, hogy ugorjon be a hideg folyóba.
Don’t egg her on—she’s already angry enough.
Ne hergeld — már így is elég mérges.
They kept egging him on until he agreed to sing.
Learner examples
He eggs me on to run fast.
Biztat, hogy fussak gyorsan.
She eggs him on to fight.
Arra hergeli, hogy verekedjen.
They egg him on to say it.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this means throwing eggs; in this sense, it means encouraging someone to act.
Meaning
Urge someone to act recklessly
Collocations
egg someone on
Synonyms
incite (More formal and can imply serious or violent outcomes.)
Antonyms
dissuade (To persuade someone not to do something.)
Themes
communication
|behavior
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To push someone to do something that may be bad or dangerous.
To urge or provoke someone to do something, often something unwise or daring.
Grammar
Dictionary form
egg
IPA
GB/ˈɛɡ/
US/ˈɛɡ/
Syllables & stress
egg (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (egg)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: egg
- Plural: egg, eggs
Verb
- Base: egg
- 3rd Person Singular: eggs
- Present Participle: egging
- Past: egged
Word family
Forms
eggs
noun
egging
verb
egged
verb
Related words
eggy
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
eggless
adjective
Expressions
egg on someone's face
1/ˈɛɡ ˈɔn sˈʌmwˌʌnz fˈeɪs/
idiom
informal
Feeling embarrassed after failure
Feeling silly or embarrassed because you made a mistake or failed at something.
Examples
- He had egg on his face after his prediction turned out to be wrong.
- The company was left with egg on its face when the product failed.
egg someone on
1/ˈɛɡ sˈʌmwˌʌn ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
informal
Urge someone to act recklessly
To push someone to do something that might be bad or dangerous.
Examples
- They egged him on to try the stunt.
- She kept egging me on to tell the joke.
walk on eggshells
1/wˈɔk ˈɔn ˈɛɡʃˌɛlz/
idiom
informal
Act very carefully around someone
To be very careful about what you say or do so you don’t make someone upset or angry.
Examples
- Since the argument, I’ve been walking on eggshells around her.
- You have to walk on eggshells when he’s in a bad mood.
put all your eggs in one basket
1/pˈʊt ˈɔl jˈʊɹ ˈɛɡz ˈɪn wˈʌn bˈæskət/
idiom
Rely completely on one thing
To risk everything on one plan, idea, or opportunity instead of having several options.
Examples
- Investing all your money in one company is putting all your eggs in one basket.
- Investing all your money in one company is like putting all your eggs in one basket.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket—apply for several jobs.
- She put all her eggs in one basket by applying only to one university.