ego trip

¹ American  

noun

Informal.

1. an act or course of action undertaken primarily to satisfy one's vanity or for self-gratification.

   Her charitable activity was one long ego trip.

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ego-trip ² American  

[ee-goh-trip, eg-oh-] / ˈi goʊˌtrɪp, ˈɛg oʊ- /

verb (used without object)

Informal.

ego-tripped, ego-tripping

1. to behave in a self-serving manner.

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ego trip British  

noun

1. something undertaken to boost or draw attention to a person's own image or appraisal of himself

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verb

1. to act in this way

ego trip Idioms  

1. Behavior or activities undertaken mainly out of vanity or for self-gratification. For example, She's really on an ego trip, trying out for the lead. [1960s]

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Other Word Forms

• ego-tripper noun

Etymology

Origin of ego trip¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Origin of ego-trip²

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

But this adventure in Seoul is simply an ego trip.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead of treating those sponsorships as ego trips for CEOs, he analyzed their usefulness in generating revenue for sponsors.

From The Wall Street Journal

This is not an ego trip by the judge.

From Salon

But Lee believed that his success was because his superheroes’ neuroses, flaws and ego trips made each one a little bit like him.

From New York Times

“He deserves the attention he’s been getting, but it’s not like he is wanting a lot of attention for himself. You’re not working with somebody who is on a constant ego trip.”

From New York Times