WordValeput all your eggs in one basket
to risk everything on one plan
In more detail
(idiom) to risk everything on a single plan or investment, leaving yourself unprotected if something goes wrong
Examples
- He decided not to put all his eggs in one basket, so he applied to several universities instead of just one.
How to use put all your eggs in one basket
This is a cautionary idiom typically used to warn against concentrating all resources or hope on a single outcome. It emphasizes the risk of having no backup plan or alternative if the primary venture fails. The negative form (don't put...) is especially common in advice and financial contexts.
Common phrases
- put all your eggs in one basket
- don't put all your eggs in one basket
- putting all your eggs in one basket
- all your eggs in one basket
Synonyms
bet the farm · go all-in · stake everything on · put all your money on · commit wholly to
Opposites
diversify · hedge your bets · spread the risk
A common mistake
Learners sometimes use this to describe merely focusing on one goal or task, when it specifically implies risk and lack of protection—the point is vulnerability, not just concentration.
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