egging on
Pushing toward action
To egg someone on is to urge or encourage them, typically toward something risky, foolish, or mischievous: His friends egged him on until he jumped.
The phrase implies external pressure that pushes someone past their own hesitation.
Despite appearances, this egg comes from an Old Norse word meaning to incite, unrelated to the breakfast food.
- goadingInciting through persistent pressure
- urgingStrongly encouraging action
- instigatingPrompting action to begin
- stirring upCausing to activate
- provokingCausing a reaction
prompting · spurring · incitement · chivvying · riling · pushing buttons · taunting · baiting · getting a rise · prodding · siccing · agitating · setting off · cheering · pressuring · talking into · daring · troublemaker
- provocationbaiting, goading, taunting, incitement, instigation
- promptsprompt, prompts, prompting, cue, hint
- incitementinciting, instigating, provoking, incitement, instigation
- persuadingpersuading, convincing, urging, coaxing, influencing
egging ondiscouraging
Causing loss of confidence
dissuading · deterring · holding back · restraining · putting off
egging oncalming down
Becoming less agitated
pacifying · soothing · placating · defusing · cooling off