HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
n. 1. a. A female gamete; an ovum. Also called egg cell. b. The round or oval female reproductive body of various animals, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and insects, consisting usually of an embryo surrounded by nutrient material and a protective covering. c. The oval, thin-shelled reproductive body of a bird, especially that of a hen, used as food. 2. Something having the ovoid shape of an egg. 3. Slang A fellow; a person: He's a good egg. tr.v. egged, egg·ing, eggs Idioms: 1. To cover with beaten egg, as in cooking. 2. Slang To throw eggs at. egg on (one's) face Informal Embarrassment; humiliation: If you do that, you'll end up with egg on your face. lay an egg Informal To fail, especially in a public performance. put/have all (one's) eggs in one basket Informal To risk everything on a single venture. [Middle English egge, bird's egg, from Old Norse egg; see awi- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] eggless adj. eggy adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
tr.v. egged, egg·ing, eggs To encourage or incite to action. Used with on: The racing fans egged their favorites on. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
