chicken-and-egg
adjective
chick·en-and-egg
ˈchi-kᵊn-ən(d)-ˈeg 
-ˈāg
: of, relating to, or being a cause-and-effect dilemma
Examples of chicken-and-egg in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, the feature game is something of a chicken-and-egg situation.
—
Amy Panos,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 July 2026
And thus begins the series of chicken-and-egg questions about the San Antonio Spurs’ shooting performance in the loss.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
The math isn’t mathing The childcare crisis is essentially a chicken-and-egg problem.
—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
At first, Michaels just wanted to address the fact that the vast majority of federal student loans require a co-signer, which created a chicken-and-egg problem for people without wealthy parents or other financial support.
—
Alexandra York,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Remember, there's a chicken-and-egg thing in here.
—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Yeah, there’s a chicken-and-egg thing going on here.
—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
This export-only framing creates a familiar chicken-and-egg problem.
—
Eme Bassey,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Feb. 2026
There’s a chicken-and-egg, no pun intended, conundrum between retailers and the food supply chain, leading to a lack of healthy market competition.
—
Jack Buffington,
The Conversation,
6 Feb. 2026
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Amy Panos,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 July 2026
And thus begins the series of chicken-and-egg questions about the San Antonio Spurs’ shooting performance in the loss.
—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
The math isn’t mathing The childcare crisis is essentially a chicken-and-egg problem.
—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
At first, Michaels just wanted to address the fact that the vast majority of federal student loans require a co-signer, which created a chicken-and-egg problem for people without wealthy parents or other financial support.
—
Alexandra York,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Remember, there's a chicken-and-egg thing in here.
—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Yeah, there’s a chicken-and-egg thing going on here.
—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
This export-only framing creates a familiar chicken-and-egg problem.
—
Eme Bassey,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Feb. 2026
There’s a chicken-and-egg, no pun intended, conundrum between retailers and the food supply chain, leading to a lack of healthy market competition.
—
Jack Buffington,
The Conversation,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chicken-and-egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken-and-egg. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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