(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
An ~ is an oval object that is produced by a female bird and which contains a baby bird. Other animals such as reptiles and fish also lay ~s.
...a baby bird hatching from its ~.
...ant ~s.
N-COUNT
2.
In Western countries, ~s often means hen’s ~s, eaten as food.
Break the ~s into a shallow bowl and beat them lightly.
...bacon and ~s.
N-VAR
3.
Egg is used to refer to an object in the shape of a hen’s ~.
...a chocolate ~.
N-COUNT: usu supp N
4.
An ~ is a cell that is produced in the bodies of female animals and humans. If it is fertilized by a sperm, a baby develops from it.
It only takes one sperm to fertilize an ~.
N-COUNT
5.
see also Easter ~ , nest ~ , Scotch ~
6.
If someone puts all their ~s in one basket, they put all their effort or resources into doing one thing so that, if it fails, they have no alternatives left.
The key word here is diversify; don’t put all your ~s in one basket.
PHRASE: usu v PHR
7.
If someone has ~ on their face or has ~ all over their face, they have been made to look foolish.
If they take this game lightly they could end up with ~ on their faces.
PHRASE: face inflects, have/with PHR
8.
a chicken and ~ situation: see chicken