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
The board has two parallel sets of 29 holes, and players use 10 small sticks with either jackal or dog heads, similar to the board and pegs of cribbage. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 16 Sep. 2024 Footage did show that Derrick had an empty hole on his wall, as two pegs were shoved into one. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 11 Sep. 2024
Verb
Hubble pegged the expansion rate at 500 kilometers per second per megaparsec (km/s/Mpc), meaning that two galaxies separated by 1 Mpc, or about 3.2 million light-years, fly apart at 500 km/s. That was wildly off. Liz Kruesi, WIRED, 8 Sep. 2024 After all, sources pegged the brand’s net sales at around $100 million annually, about an even split between retail and the brand’s website. Kathryn Hopkins, WWD, 5 Sep. 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 See all Example Sentences for peg 

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 6 Oct. 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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