# lay an egg

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/lay-an-egg
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To produce a failure or flop; to do something which is unsuccessful.

## Examples

- The comedian really laid an egg during his performance last night.
- The team spent months preparing for the product launch, but it laid an egg when nobody bought the new device.
- Despite the massive budget and high expectations, the director's latest film laid an egg at the box office, leaving critics and investors deeply disappointed.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.