Egg on Meaning in English
expression
ˈɛɡ/ /ˈɑn/, /ˈɔn
EG-AHN, EG-AWN
ˈɛɡ/ /ˈɒn
EG-ON
Definition
To encourage or persuade someone to do something, especially something wrong, risky, or foolish.
Usage & Nuances
'Egg on' is informal and often implies urging someone toward potentially negative or foolish actions. It is usually used in spoken English. Common constructions: 'egg someone on', 'was egged on by'. Do not confuse with 'encourage' (which can be positive).
Spanish: incitar - animar (hacer algo incorrecto/foolish)Portuguese (BR): incentivar - instigar - encorajar (a fazer algo tolo)Portuguese (PT): instigar - incentivar (a fazer algo errados ou tolo)Chinese (Simplified): 怂恿 - 鼓动Chinese (Traditional): 慫恿 - 鼓動Hindi: उकसाना - भड़कानाArabic: يحرّض - يشجّع (على فعل شيء خاطئ أو غبي)Bengali: উসকানো - প্রলুব্ধ করাRussian: подстрекать - подбиватьJapanese: そそのかす - おだてるVietnamese: xúi giục - kích độngKorean: 부추기다 - 꼬드기다Turkish: kışkırtmak - teşvik etmek (olumsuz anlamda)Urdu: اکسانا - اُبھارناIndonesian: membujuk - menghasut
Example Sentences
He tried not to laugh, but his friends egged him on.
basic
The children egged each other on to jump in the pool.
basic
She wouldn't have done it if her brother hadn't egged her on.
basic
Don’t egg me on—I already feel nervous about it!
natural
He was only dancing on the table because his friends kept egging him on.
natural
It was a stupid prank, but we all egged him on to do it.
natural