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
Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Female and male participate in harvesting and storing acorns, take part in incubating eggs and feeding young.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The teenagers, riding together in a truck, egged each other on, cheering when the rocks hit cars and caused damage.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for egg
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.
Noun
Instead of a leafy house salad, diners get chunky shareable beets with horseradish, speck and a jammy egg.
—Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
Female and male participate in harvesting and storing acorns, take part in incubating eggs and feeding young.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
Pro-Trump influencers, meantime, have egged Carr on.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
The teenagers, riding together in a truck, egged each other on, cheering when the rocks hit cars and caused damage.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 9 Sep. 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 20 Sep. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share