nest egg
Americannoun
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money saved and held in reserve for emergencies, retirement, etc.
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a natural or artificial egg placed in a nest to induce a hen to continue laying eggs there.
noun
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a fund of money kept in reserve; savings
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a natural or artificial egg left in a nest to induce hens to lay their eggs in it
Etymology
Origin of nest egg
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
Now compare that with the retiree unfortunate enough to stop working in October 1968 and start spending down his or her nest egg when markets were also in a funk.
From Barron's • Apr. 19, 2026
They prefer to live off income — Social Security, dividends, interest — while preserving their nest egg.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
The stress you feel now with an annual sizable income of $250,000 a year could be replaced by your efforts to preserve your nest egg.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026
"The market needs stability and savers need to feel encouraged to build a nest egg."
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
This clan, having put their own small farm to bed for the winter in the Province of Quebec, came over the line to make a small nest egg.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
