LAID AN EGG Synonyms: 89 Similar and Opposite Words

laid an egg

phrase

past tense of lay an egg

as in stumbled

to make a mistake His book report was going perfectly until he laid an egg and got the main character's name wrong.

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as in collapsed

to be unsuccessful The gymnast nailed perfect landings on her first two vaults but really laid an egg on the third.

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for laid an egg

Phrase

France then took off for home, but because Tovar quickly ran over to grab the ball and because France is not fast, there would have been a close play at the plate had Tovar not dropped the ball after picking it up.

— Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026
With one out and one on, Romy Gonzalez hit a hard ground ball to shortstop Francisco Lindor, who dropped the ball before losing his footing completely and falling into the dirt.

— Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 July 2026

Definition of dropped the ball

Phrase

But in documents released Monday in advance of a hearing this week where FDA advisers will weigh in on the drug, the agency said the study fell short.

— Ed Silverman, STAT, 28 July 2026
That fell short of the 53 cents per share forecast by Wall Street analysts, according to FactSet.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026

Definition of fell short

Phrase

Sauro, who posted a video of the debate exchange on Facebook late last week, said Leary’s Monday apology letter fell flat.

— Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 28 July 2026
Even the president’s jokes about his bad jokes fell flat, and he was widely ridiculed for the comedy routine afterward.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

Definition of fell flat

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laid

laid an egg

laid away

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“Laid an egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laid%20an%20egg. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of laid an egg

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