To encourage someone to do something risky, foolish, or unwise, often through taunting or peer pressure.
To push someone into doing something silly or dangerous by cheering them on.
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
To encourage or provoke someone to do something risky, foolish, or unwise.
"His classmates egged him on to jump off the high diving board, even though he was afraid."
The crowd egged him on.
— Commonly attributed to descriptions of Julius Caesar's death in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (paraphrase), and widely used in modern journalism and commentary.
Strongly implies that the action being encouraged is unwise, dangerous, or mischievous. Often associated with peer pressure or crowd behaviour. The 'egg' here comes from the Old Norse 'eggja' meaning to incite — it is not related to the food. Common in both British and American English.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "egg on" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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