peg

1 of 4

noun

1
a
: a small usually cylindrical pointed or tapered piece (as of wood) used to pin down or fasten things or to fit into or close holes : pin, plug
b
British : clothespin
c
: a predetermined level at which something (such as a price) is fixed
2
a
: a projecting piece used as a support or boundary marker
b
: something (such as a fact or issue) used as a support, pretext, or reason
a news peg for the story
3
a
: one of the movable wooden pegs set in the head of a stringed instrument (such as a violin) that are turned to regulate the pitch of the strings see violin illustration
b
: a step or degree especially in estimation
4
: a pointed prong or claw for catching or tearing
5
British : drink
poured himself out a stiff pegDorothy Sayers
6
: something (such as a leg) resembling a peg
7
: throw
especially : a hard throw in baseball made in an attempt to put out a base runner

peg

2 of 4

verb

pegged; pegging

transitive verb

1
a
: to put a peg into
b
British : to pin (laundry) on a clothesline
2
: to attach or fix as if with a peg: such as
a
: to pin down : restrict
b
: to fix or hold (something, such as prices or wage increases) at a predetermined level or rate
c
: to place in a definite category : identify
was pegged as an intellectual
3
: to mark by pegs
4
: throw

intransitive verb

1
: to work steadily and diligently
often used with away
2
: to move along vigorously or hastily : hustle

peg

3 of 4

adjective

variants or pegged
: wide at the top and narrow at the bottom
peg pants

PEG

4 of 4

abbreviation

polyethylene glycol

Examples of peg in a Sentence

Noun Her coat hung on a peg by the door. took the arrogant student down a peg Verb Is the tent pegged down all the way? peg the price of wheat at its current level His bonus is pegged to how many sales he makes each year for the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For others, the mushy texture knocked Good & Gather down a few pegs. Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 8 Jan. 2024 Down two pegs is another non-mover, Reputation, which is comfortable at No. 4. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 And, besides, at the doors on each side were long rows of fleece blankets for moviegoers to take off pegs and cuddle up with during the show. Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 For two months, items like bird feed, clothes pegs, corks, nuts and bolts, were mysteriously placed neatly in a box on his workbench after being left out the previous evening. USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 In the late nineties, when Cavallo’s dollar peg was still in place, a surge in the value of the dollar (and, therefore, the peso) contributed to Argentina’s exports becoming uncompetitive in world markets. John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2023 Made from high-quality oak, the bed has carved feet, and joints fixed with small wooden pegs. Zara Khan, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024 Lee was tasked with making images that reflected a sense of Americana, rather than a visual peg to a particular region of the country. Jill Wendholt Silva, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 As much as his primary opponents are hoping for something to change the state of the race and knock Trump down a peg, all of them — even outspoken Trump critic Chris Christie — came out against the Colorado ruling. Monica Potts, ABC News, 4 Jan. 2024
Verb
Both children inherited trusts, and Larry — whom Forbes pegs with a net worth of $142 billion — made investments in each of their companies. Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Forbes pegs his net worth at just under $118 billion. Jane Thier, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 The business also announced plans to peg shareholder distributions to 50% of the underlying full-year cash result moving forwards. Royston Wild, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 While the state of Trump's finances remains somewhat opaque, third-party estimates peg the real estate and reality TV titan's net worth at well above the hefty New York judgments. Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024 Earlier in the year, most economists pegged the first rate cut of 2024 for the Fed's March 20 meeting. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 14 Feb. 2024 The Warriors’ 20-24 record and their 12th seed in the West tell us this team that once pegged itself as a title contender is spiraling down into the NBA’s dumps. Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2024 While today’s data pegs the Euro as the most likely replacement, the challenge is that member nations of the European Union are quite often divided on key political and economic issues. The Enquirer, 23 Feb. 2024 News reports have pegged the partner as Google, which is using Reddit data to train its Gemini LLM. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The shape of those peg-like teeth at the front of its mouth tell us that A. unicus was vegan — the oldest such marine reptile known. Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 6 May 2016 The most controversial were the inclusion of single-unders and double-under crossovers which appeared during Event 3 alongside strict peg-board climbs. Gabrielle Kassel, Men's Health, 8 Aug. 2022 The toymaker father of young Olivia is dramatically kidnapped by a peg-legged bat. Dewayne Bevil, orlandosentinel.com, 18 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peg.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pegge, probably from Middle Dutch

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1543, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

1681, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of peg was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near peg

Cite this Entry

“Peg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peg. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

peg

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a small usually cylindrical pointed piece (as of wood) used to pin down or fasten things or to fit into or close holes
a tent peg
b
: a tapered wooden piece in a musical instrument (as a violin) that is turned to tighten or loosen a string to adjust pitch
2
: a piece that sticks out and is used as a support or boundary marker
3
: step entry 1 sense 5, degree
take someone down a peg
4
: throw entry 2 sense 1
a quick peg to first base

peg

2 of 2 verb
pegged; pegging
1
a
: to fasten or mark with pegs
b
: to fix or hold (as prices) at a level or rate of increase
2
: to place in a class or group
3
4
: to work steadily and diligently

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on peg

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