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Synonyms

nest egg

American  

noun

  1. money saved and held in reserve for emergencies, retirement, etc.

  2. a natural or artificial egg placed in a nest to induce a hen to continue laying eggs there.

nest egg British  

noun

  1. a fund of money kept in reserve; savings

  2. a natural or artificial egg left in a nest to induce hens to lay their eggs in it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

"The market needs stability and savers need to feel encouraged to build a nest egg."

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Why would I go through all the effort of building a large Roth nest egg and then not use it strategically to help keep my taxable income lower throughout retirement?

From MarketWatch • Mar. 14, 2026

“If you have a long-term strategy in mind, the process of building a nest egg is more important than any individual transaction.”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 20, 2026

Postponing retirement isn’t an option for everyone, but for those who can, it’s a great way to pad your nest egg.

From Barron's • Feb. 5, 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.