lay an egg

phrase

Definition of lay an eggnext
1
as in trip
to make a mistake His book report was going perfectly until he laid an egg and got the main character's name wrong.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in collapse
to be unsuccessful The gymnast nailed perfect landings on her first two vaults but really laid an egg on the third.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of lay an egg Same with the Jets, who simply could not go down to Nashville and lay an egg the size of a bowling ball against their former coach, Robert Saleh. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay an egg
  1. drop the ball
  2. fall short
  3. fall flat
Phrase
  • Europe has dropped the ball on the prototype for its first reusable spacecraft.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Then, when Manning got the ball back with two minutes left, Florida grabbed its fifth sack courtesy of linebacker Myles Graham, and Manning dropped the ball in the process.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of drop the ball
Phrase
  • Reaching the Sun’s core temperature alone would therefore fall short of what many reactor designs require.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right-wing Likud party fell short of gaining a 61-seat majority needed to control the Knesset as the election results were finalized.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of fall short
Phrase
  • Rolling sections upward and positioning rollers close to the roots can create lift where hair tends to fall flat, a technique that matters as much as the tool itself.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Hormonal shifts in your 40s, 50s and 60s can change how hair behaves, and a cut that worked for years may suddenly fall flat by lunchtime.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of fall flat

Browse Nearby Words

layabouts
lay an egg
lay away
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lay an egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lay%20an%20egg. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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