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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lay an egg
  1. drop the ball
  2. fall short
  3. fall flat
Phrase
  • Kelce appeared to cut his route a little short, and Holiday dropped the ball down the right sideline with linebacker Drue Tranquill in coverage.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of drop the ball
Phrase
  • Low-speed vehicles are a step above a golf cart but fall short of the capabilities of conventional passenger cars.
    — Beth Livesay, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Despite doubling mining revenues last year, President Bola Tinubu’s administration still falls short of meeting a 3% target for minerals’ GDP contribution that was set six years ago.
    — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall short
Phrase
  • Just last year, Nate Bargatze entered Emmys night as a peak-of-fame comedian, and ended the evening as the object of mass audience disgruntlement after a running joke about winners’ lengthy speeches taking money away from children in need fell flat.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Policies fall flat without clear, severe consequences when platforms breach their duty of care or fail to act responsibly.
    — Erin Mote, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of fall flat
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.

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 23 Aug. 2026.

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