chicken-and-egg

adjective

chick·​en-and-egg ˈchi-kᵊn-ən(d)-ˈeg How to pronounce chicken-and-egg (audio)
-ˈāg
: of, relating to, or being a cause-and-effect dilemma

Examples of chicken-and-egg in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Yeah, there’s a chicken-and-egg thing going on here. — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026 Remember, there's a chicken-and-egg thing in here. — Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026 However, the feature game is something of a chicken-and-egg situation. — Amy Panos, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 July 2026 This export-only framing creates a familiar chicken-and-egg problem. — Eme Bassey, Sourcing Journal, 12 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chicken-and-egg

Word History

Etymology

from the proverbial question "which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chicken-and-egg was in 1857

Rhymes for chicken-and-egg

See All Rhymes for chicken-and-egg

Browse Nearby Words

chicken's-toes
chicken-and-egg
chickenberry
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chicken-and-egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicken-and-egg. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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