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

Example Sentences

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 stablecoin briefly lost its peg against the dollar, dropping at times to around 90 cents. Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2023 Crypto giant Circle survived a harrowing weekend that saw its flagship USDC stablecoin break its peg to the dollar, falling below 90 cents early on Saturday before a series of moves by banks and regulators restored confidence in the token. Jeff John Roberts, Fortune Crypto, 13 Mar. 2023 Also this morning, binance USD lost its peg to the U.S. dollar, according to a CoinDesk article citing figures from data provider Kaiko. Charles Bovaird, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2023 The study participants were asked to complete a peg transfer task, which is a standardized test for training surgeons that involves transferring six triangular blocks from one side of a pegboard to the other and then back again. IEEE Spectrum, 7 Feb. 2023 The survey found that slightly more than half of the business economists who responded peg the risk of a recession over the next year at 50% or higher, with the biggest risks including higher interest rates and costs. Matt Egan, CNN, 23 Jan. 2023 For example, pots can be hung from standard towel rods, attached to peg boards, or hung from wire wall grid displays. Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Jan. 2023 For example, hymns of celebration after defeating enemies, such as when Jael hammers a peg through the head of the military commander Sisera in the Book of Judges, appear to celebrate violence. Joseph P. Slaughter, The Conversation, 10 Jan. 2023 Hong Kong has no plans to change its longstanding currency peg to the U.S. dollar, Eddie Yue, chief executive of the Asian financial hub's de-facto central bank, said at the UBS Greater China Conference on Monday. Jing Yang, WSJ, 9 Jan. 2023
Verb
Elisabeth was a Barack Obama supporter; Prudence, who’s largely stayed out of the limelight, is a little more difficult to peg. Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2023 Most said their doctors couldn’t conclusively peg the cause of their problems but identified ketamine as the likely culprit. Chris Hamby, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023 Fulham was without star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic due to a foot problem but still managed to peg United back for large parts of the game and netted a deserved equalizer when former United winger Daniel James turned in a low cross from close range. Mattias KarÉn, ajc, 13 Nov. 2022 For many years Tether was the biggest name in stablecoins, which are cryptocurrencies backed by a pool of assets intended to peg their value to a major currency like the U.S. dollar. Marco Quiroz-gutierrez, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2022 TerraUSD, a riskier algorithmic stablecoin that used complex code to peg its value to the the US dollar, collapsed the same month, wiping out the savings of thousands of investors. Anna Cooban, CNN, 13 June 2022 Defenders peg The Village as a lacerating tale of American self-delusion and nostalgia cresting into horror. Darren Franich, EW.com, 8 Feb. 2023 The authors peg the likely date of the event to either 977 or 957 BCE. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 31 Dec. 2022 Surveys regularly peg the EV-curious between 25% and 50% and that share will only increase as products proliferate. Kyle Stock, Fortune, 1 Jan. 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 example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'peg.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 26 Mar. 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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