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
Trying to integrate legacy billing with advanced systems is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole—while blindfolded. James Messer, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Children can create custom scenes or follow preset designs, all by inserting pegs into the backlit tray. Dorian Smith-Garcia, Parents, 8 Nov. 2023 Green with envy, her coworker Drew sets out to dampen her accomplishments and will stop at nothing until she’s knocked down a peg at work and in her everyday dealings. Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023 To knock him down a peg, though, most of his rivals are playing by the old rules. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2023 The large oak boards are almost 30 centimeters (12 inches) wide and 15 centimeters (6 inches) thick, and they’re held together by wooden pegs instead of nails. Gretchen Smail, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023 Hamas has launched a war to destroy Israel—or to do its best to weaken it, to take it down a peg. Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2023 Tall custom cabinets hold fishing gear and other supplies, and the peg rack is a catch-all spot for jackets and lake house necessities. Rhonda Reinhart, Country Living, 8 Sep. 2023 The pounding bench helps children learn cause and effect, and hitting the peg with the mallet encourages hand-eye coordination and fine motor skill development. Melissa Willets, Parents, 11 July 2023
Verb
Cellar dweller Las Vegas oddsmakers during the summer pegged the over/under for SDSU victories at seven. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Nov. 2023 This skepticism is substantiated by the ZipRecruiter survey, which surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. employers between July and August, and pegged employee monitoring as the primary concern in remote work scenarios. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023 Though a July Morning Consult poll pegged Hobbs’s approval rating at only 47 percent, one in 10 voters were still making up their minds about her. Kyle Paoletta, The New Republic, 30 Oct. 2023 Unlike the Arizona Cardinals last year and the Indianapolis Colts before them, the Dolphins are pegged by many to make the playoffs this season. Scott Thompson, Fox News, 23 Oct. 2023 Salaries are pegged to the dollar to protect against currency fluctuations. Patricia Cohen, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2023 Even after undergoing an elbow surgery that will limit him to hitting-only next season, Ohtani continues to be pegged for a record-breaking, potential half-billion-dollar deal. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 Meta issued bullish revenue guidance for the fourth quarter of 2023, pegging sales to be in the range of $36.5 billion-$40 billion (compared with $32.17 billion in the year-earlier period). Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 Oct. 2023 The video release was pegged to Red Ribbon Week, a national drug-prevention effort began in 1985. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2023
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 See More

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 2 Dec. 2023.

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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