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

Since 1950, the official start of Oktoberfest has been marked by the mayor of Munich tapping the first keg at Schottenhamel Festhalle, after which beer lovers, from Germany and elsewhere, take to Theresienwiese (also called d'Wiesn) to visit the 35 beer tents and celebrate Bavarian culture. —Don Tse, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

In addition to Frankenmuth's Oktoberfest, many other cities will tap kegs this fall, including Iron Mountain, Grand Rapids and Saline. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Verb

The opening ceremony and keg tap are scheduled for noon. —John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 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