keg

1 of 2

noun

ˈkeg 

 dialectal  ˈkag,

ˈkāg

1

: a small cask or barrel having a capacity of 30 gallons or less

2

: the contents of a keg

keg

2 of 2

verb

kegged; kegging; kegs

transitive verb

: to store (something, such as beer) in a keg

This led us to purchase larger brewing equipment and begin bottling and kegging our beer for distribution in the Tokyo market.

—Bryan Baird

kegged adjective

He'll also have kegged root beer and perhaps locally made sodas on hand.

—Eater.com

Synonyms

Noun

• barrel
• cask
• pipe

Examples of keg in a Sentence

Noun

They drank an entire keg of beer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The airport's attempt to replace milk bottles with milk kegs failed because of timing and fluctuations in milk use. —Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

Small brewers are being hit especially hard by tariffs on equipment, kegs, aluminum cans and ingredients, such as hops and grain. —Megan Stringer, Axios, 6 May 2025

Another related issue is metal kegs: About 99% of all kegs come from either the European Union or China. —Jay R. Brooks, Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2025

At John’s Pizzeria, a beer distributor now charges a congestion fee of $5 per keg, which adds up to an extra $65 each week. —Winnie Hu, New York Times, 12 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English kag, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse kaggi keg

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1632, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1837, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing keg

• powder keg

Rhymes for keg

• beg
• clegg
• egg
• leg
• legg
• meg
• peg
• reg
• blackleg
• bootleg
• foreleg
• mpeg

Kids Definition

keg

noun

ˈkeg 

ˈkag,

ˈkāg

1

: a small cask or barrel holding 30 gallons (about 114 liters) or less

2

: the contents of a keg