egg crate

noun

A crate used for transporting eggs.

Meanings

nounegg crate (countable and uncountable, plural egg crates)

plural egg crates · alternative eggcrate · alternative egg-crate · alternative egg-crating · alternative egg crating

  1. countableA crate used for transporting eggs.

    I can recall many an evening sitting in the store with the store manager and perhaps also with the wife of a farmer until midnight when the saloon closed, waiting for the men to stop by for their cream cans, egg crates and wives.

    2013, Carleton Opgaard, From Country School to College President, →ISBN, page 15
  2. countableAn egg carton; A specialized container for eggs which has multiple indentations for holding individual eggs.

    Place the plaque of conical molds, pointed side down, onto clean, empty, cardboard egg crates to support the molds so that they stand perfectly vertical.

    2009, Robert Wemischner, The Dessert Architect, →ISBN, page 275
  3. countablelightingA device for restricting the spread of light that fits into the softbox of a diffuser panel.

    Happily this situation can be helped to a great extent by the use of grids called egg crates, which prevent the light from spreading too broadly.

    2012, Kris Malkiewicz, Film Lighting, →ISBN
    2 more examples

    Fabric grids or egg crates, such as those made by Lighttools, work much the same way for different sizes of softboxes. These egg crates restrict the direction of the light and how much it spreads across the entire surface of the softbox or subject.

    2013, Michael Grecco, Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, →ISBN

    Egg crates are for use with softboxes. They fit into the front of the softbox over the diffuser panel. Their job is similar to that of the honeycomb grid, in that they are there to help restrict the spread of the light, giving you more directional control and less spill, whilst still maintaining a soft light.

    2013, Christian Hough, Studio Photography and Lighting: Art and Techniques, →ISBN, page 1-47
  4. countableeducationA self-contained class that has no collaboration or interaction with any other class, and which is the sole responsibility of a single teacher.

    Egg crates are a much less satisfactory model for schools.

    2013, William Powell, Ochan Kusuma-Powell, Becoming an Emotionally Intelligent Teacher, →ISBN, page 152
    3 more examples

    Classrooms became larger, but the egg crate design was maintained.

    1976, Richard D. Fish, Bradley M. Loomer, Elementary Open-space Schools

    Much like teachers are sometimes described as working in their separate little egg crates, school administrators can also be very isolated from one another.

    2009, Identifying the Needs of Beginning Elementary School, →ISBN, page 1

    Lortie coined the phrase "egg crate school," which refers to a type of organization wherein "each teacher was assigned specific areas of responsibility and was expected to teach students the stipulated knowledge and skills without assistance from others."

    2003, Gail Bush, The School Buddy System: The Practice of Collaboration, →ISBN, page 20
  5. countableuncountableA foam pad with multiple indentations giving it a texture similar to that of an egg carton.

    Typically, egg crates are covered with waterproof pads and then sheets.

    2012, Seth B. Goldsmith, Understanding Health Care Management, →ISBN, page 87
    2 more examples

    We were able to find some foam egg crates that would make her a bit more comfortable.

    2012, Joshua Bonilla, Samantha Ondyak, Olivia Smith, Sky of Dust: The Last Weapon, →ISBN, page 10

    This suite left a lasting impression on me due to the egg crates (foam mattresses) on the beds.

    2014, Gene Shirley Richey, Dancing My Way Through Hell!, →ISBN, page 80
  6. countableA surface or insert that has regularly spaced holes or indentations.

    Ask most people what soundproofing is and they'll describe foam tiles, egg crates, or other treatments on the walls.

    2012, Jay Rose, Audio Postproduction for Film and Video, →ISBN
    2 more examples

    As you can see from the test reports, in the lower frequency ranges in particular, egg crates offer little value for absorption.

    2005, Ken A. Priebe, Home Recording Studio: Build It Like the Pros, →ISBN, page 282

    In lieu of volume extractors that protrude into the main duct airflow, use flow straighteners (honeycomb grids or “egg crates”) in the necks of short-length take-offs that lead directly to terminal devices.

    2015, Michael Ermann, Architectural Acoustics Illustrated, →ISBN, page 236
  7. countableuncountableA grid-like support structure or scaffolding.
  8. countableA style of open roof that consists of horizontal supports in a grid pattern.

    Exterior shading devices can be either horizontal, vertical, or a combination of horizontal and vertical called “egg crates.”

    2013, Mark DeKay, G. Z. Brown, Sun, Wind, and Light: Architectural Design Strategies, →ISBN, page 248
verbegg crate (third-person singular simple present egg crates, present participle egg crating, simple past and past participle egg crated)

present singular third person egg crates · participle present egg crating · participle past egg crated · past egg crated · alternative eggcrate · alternative egg-crate · alternative egg-crating · alternative egg crating

  1. alternativeAlternative form of egg-crate.

    Photos on opposite page show how material is applied to "egg crate" framework in making this installation

    1954 October, Wayne C. Leckey, “Modernize Your Home With Translucent Panels -- A New Woven-Glass Building Material”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 102, number 4, page 184
    2 more examples

    The hull is built on a conventional transverse framing system except for the inner bottom which is "egg crated" below the reactor compartment, located amidships between two upright partitions made of heavy steel.

    1964, Nuclear Engineering - Volume 9, page 277

    And schools, in line with their management practices, have tended to be “egg crated” into separate classes, grade levels, tracks, and departments (Page 1990).

    1996, Mary E. Gardiner, Parent-School Collaboration, →ISBN, page 66

Translations

Finnish munakenno
  • munakennoegg carton
Portuguese caixa de ovos
  • caixa de ovosegg carton
Swedish äggkartong
  • äggkartongegg carton
Turkish yumurta viyolü
  • yumurta viyolüegg carton
Cite this entry
APA

egg crate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/egg%20crate

MLA

“egg crate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/egg%20crate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “egg crate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/egg%20crate.

Source: egg crate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.