THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE
Put all your eggs in one basket
Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.
01 / UNDERSTAND
Meaning in plain English
To make your success depend entirely on a single plan, person or opportunity.
02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT
The expression in a sentence
- Do not put all your eggs in one basket by applying to only one course.
03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Quick idiom quiz
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Can you recall the expression?
Complete the example using the expression from this lesson.
Do not ________ by applying to only one course.
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Put all your eggs in one basket — To make your success depend entirely on a single plan, person or opportunity.
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Make it yours
Write one sentence using “Put all your eggs in one basket” about your own life.
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Does your sentence match this meaning?
To make your success depend entirely on a single plan, person or opportunity.
Compare: Do not put all your eggs in one basket by applying to only one course.
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More ways to understand and use it
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When to use it
Use this informal expression when discussing the risk of relying on only one possibility. It is common as a caution in everyday plans and applications.
More examples in context
- We put all our eggs in one basket when we relied on a single venue.
- She kept alternative project ideas so she would not put all her eggs in one basket.
Usage note
Change your to my, our or another possessive as needed. Eggs is plural and basket is singular. The phrase concerns concentrated dependence; it does not say that every alternative is equally suitable.
A short conversation
A: I have applied to just one programme.
B: Would it help to keep another option open?
A: Yes. I do not want to put all my eggs in one basket.
One more practice question
Which plan puts all its eggs in one basket?
A. One whose success depends entirely on a single unconfirmed venue.
B. One with several workable alternatives if the first venue is unavailable.
Check your answer
A. The single dependency leaves no alternative if that option fails.
Related lessons
Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.