Easter egg

[ee-ster eg]

noun

1. a chicken egg that is dyed and often given a figure or design, or an imitation of such an egg, as an egg-shaped candy or chocolate, used at Easter as a gift or decoration.

2. Digital Technology.,  an extra feature, as a message or video, hidden in a software program, video game, DVD, etc., and revealed as by an obscure sequence of keystrokes or commands.

3. Movies, Television.,  a hidden message, as a cryptic reference, iconic image, or inside joke, that fans are intended to discover in a television show or movie.

Easter egg

noun

1. an egg given to children at Easter, usually a chocolate egg or a hen's egg with its shell painted

2. a bonus or extra feature hidden inside a website, computer game, or DVD, that is only revealed after repeated or lengthy viewing or playing

Word History and Origins

Origin of Easter egg¹

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

He adds that there will be a few Easter eggs for fans but he admits he can't say much more about that just yet.

From BBC

A few Swifties have speculated that her newfound passion for sourdough might be an Easter egg pointing to a Super Bowl appearance: Sourdough Sam, the 49ers mascot, the stadium in Santa Clara next February.

From Salon

She expects Swift to sprinkle in some of her trademark Easter eggs for fans ahead of the wedding to deflect from what they are envisioning.

From BBC

“It’s almost like how in superhero movies they’ll put Easter eggs, these are Easter eggs for my family only.”

From Los Angeles Times

And so-called Easter eggs and specials “would be added here and there,” Eater reported.

From Salon

When To Use

What does Easter egg mean?

Easter eggs can refer to candy eggs or eggs decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, and searched for during Easter egg hunts.In popular culture, Easters eggs are text, images, visual gags, jokes, or other content that creators intentionally hide in media for their and their viewers' amusement.