nest egg

Meaning

A 'nest egg' is a sum of money saved or kept in reserve for a specific future purpose, most commonly for retirement or buying a home. It represents security and long-term financial planning.

Examples

• They managed to build up a comfortable nest egg for their retirement.

  They managed to build up a comfortable nest egg for their retirement.

• We are putting aside a portion of our salary every month to grow our nest egg.

  We are putting aside a portion of our salary every month to grow our nest egg.

• She had to dip into her nest egg to pay for the unexpected medical bills.

  She had to dip into her nest egg to pay for the unexpected medical bills.

• Starting to save early is the easiest way to ensure a healthy nest egg later in life.

  Starting to save early is the easiest way to ensure a healthy nest egg later in life.

• It took years of hard work and careful budgeting to create that nest egg.

  It took years of hard work and careful budgeting to create that nest egg.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I put my money in a nest egg account.

  ✓ I put my money in a savings account to build a nest egg.

  'Nest egg' refers to the saved money itself, not a specific type of bank account or financial product.

• ✗ He spent his nest egg on a weekend party.

  ✓ He spent his savings on a weekend party.

  A 'nest egg' implies long-term savings meant for major future goals (like retirement or emergencies), not casual, short-term spending.

Related Expressions

Practice

• They've been saving for years to build up a substantial ___ for retirement.

  💡 A metaphor for long-term savings.

  Show answer

  nest egg

• It's never too early to start planning your future and growing your ___.

  💡 Two words, literally referring to a bird's nest.

  Show answer

  nest egg