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Synonyms

goose egg

American  

noun

Informal.

  1. the numeral zero, often used to indicate the failure of a team to score in a game or unit of a game.

    a pitchers' duel, with nothing but goose eggs on the scoreboard.

  2. a lump raised by a blow, especially on the head.

goose egg Idioms  

  1. Zero, nothing, especially a score of zero. For example, Our team did badly, earning goose egg, or My income from writing this year was goose egg. This expression is an Americanization of the earlier British duck's egg. [Mid-1800s]

Etymology

Origin of goose egg

1350–1400; 1885–90, goose egg for def. 1; Middle English: the egg of a goose

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Los Alamitos avoided a second-half goose egg thanks to a 45-yard touchdown run from the 5-foot-11 tailback.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 6, 2025

I don't know how to put this other than to form a rhetorical circle with my thumb and forefinger signaling a big fat goose egg.

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2023

Concerned about a serious injury, I can report that she is well, with just a few bruises and a goose egg on her forehead to show for her tumble.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 22, 2023

The Nuggets allowed 17 3-pointers, including four from Max Strus, who scored 14 points after his 0-for-10 goose egg in the opener.

From Washington Times • Jun. 4, 2023

“I suppose it is uncomfortable. How long does it take a goose egg to hatch?”

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.