laid an egg

phrase

past tense of lay an egg
1
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.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in collapsed
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 laid an egg
  1. dropped the ball
  2. fell short
  3. fell flat
Phrase
  • That’s because the Miami Dolphins rookie wide receiver ran a slant and dropped the ball that quarterback Malik Willis fired his way.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026
  • New York running back Tyrone Tracy took a handoff and dropped the ball untouched.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of dropped the ball
Phrase
  • An effort by the statewide county superintendents association to limit that authority fell short last week when its proposal was never introduced as a bill.
    — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • When applied to the creative industries, traditional solutions fell short for the average creator.
    — Coco Mao, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell short
Phrase
  • And contrary to popular belief, not all of last year’s big premieres fell flat at the Lido.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The habeas corpus action represented a last-ditch legal effort by Maxwell to secure her release after her appeals fell flat.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of fell 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

laid
laid an egg
laid away
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laid an egg.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laid%20an%20egg. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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