To egg on is to urge or encourage someone toward action, typically something risky or ill-advised: His friends egged him on until he jumped.
The phrase suggests prodding or incitement rather than neutral encouragement—you egg someone on to fight, to drink more, to do something foolish.
Stop egging her on; she'll get in trouble.
1. urge — encourage, Urge forward with support; push (Force something away); spur (Incentive or heel device); prod (Jab to spur action); goad · press · coax · nudge · prompt · drive · impel · exhort · cheer on · root for
2. provoke — incite, Urge toward action; instigate (Cause to begin); taunt (Insulting provocation); bait (Lure for prey); needle · rile · antagonize · inflame · stir up · whip up · foment · agitate · rouse · spark
3. pressure — coerce, Obtain by intimidation; badger (Nag persistently); hound (Hunting dog breed); pester (Annoy with persistence); nag · harass · browbeat · bully · intimidate · strong-arm · twist arm · lean on · railroad · steamroll
Opposites
encouragement toward actionegg on ≠ discourage Diminish someone's confidence; dissuade · deter · hold back · restrain · talk out of
emotional incitementegg on ≠ calm down Become less agitated; pacify · soothe · placate · mollify · defuse
Categories
agitate: agitate, stir, rouse, disturb, rile up; encourage: encourage, urge, cheer on, exhort, motivate
Family
egg, egged, egging, egging on
- Familiarity
- Top 50,000
- Profile
- Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G