Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

egg on

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.46 in modern English

Syllables: egg on
IPA

7

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To encourage or coax (a person) to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The Neatreſſe longing for the reſt, did egge him on to tell / How faire ſhe vvas, and vvho ſhe vvas."
"The affair made a great sensation, and the Darleyfords and their connections said bitter things of Mrs. Dallington, and talked much of rash youth and subtle woman of discreeter years, and passions shamefully inflamed, and purposes wickedly egged on."
"He resented the idea of interference from those who had […] egged him on to a new peril."
"Then I heard that at morning one brother the other / With edges of irons egged on to murder,"
"She had deliberately egged him on to wreck his prospects."
"Others, including Sky’s former political editor Adam Boulton, have said the overall impression that Trump egged on the insurrection was fundamentally true. It is not unusual practice to edit together sections of a long speech to accurately summarise it."

Etymology

* From Middle English eggen (“to incite; urge on; instigate”), from Old Norse eggja (“to incite”), from egg (“edge”). More at edge. * A variant of the archaic "edge on."

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: eggen, eggja

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

eggs on (present, singular) egging on (participle, present) egged on (participle, past) egged on (past)

Phrases

egger-on egger-oner

Synonyms

provoke prod incite

Questions

What does egg on mean?: To encourage or coax (a person) to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.
Where does egg on come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce egg on

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