keg
Americannoun
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a small cask or barrel, usually holding from 5 to 10 gallons (19 to 38 liters).
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a unit of weight, equal to 100 pounds (45 kilograms), used for nails.
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Also kegger. a keg party; beer bust.
noun
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a small barrel with a capacity of between five and ten gallons
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an aluminium container in which beer is transported and stored
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Also called: keg beer. beer kept in a keg: it is infused with gas and served under pressure
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Etymology
Origin of keg
1585–95; earlier cag < Old Norse kaggi
Explanation
A keg is a metal container for liquids, especially beer. A keg typically holds less than thirty gallons. Bars and pubs have plenty of kegs, each containing different brands and types of beer, and occasionally they'll also have kegs of root beer or other soft drinks. When a large quantity of carbonated liquid is needed, a keg works well because it keeps its contents under pressure. The original kegs were made of wood, and in addition to beverages, they also held things like gunpowder and nails. Keg comes from the Old Norse kaggi, "cask or keg."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Witless doesn’t even begin to describe celebrating those who are willing to fall down a hill for a keg of not very good beer at a wedding.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2026
The career soldier, who in 2021 collaborated with Daglo to oust civilians from a transitional government, wrote on Wednesday: "I long recognised that the RSF was a powder keg."
From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025
I long recognized that the RSF was a powder keg.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
Dahlia Lithwick: I find the public-facing discourse around shootings to be impoverished, dangerous, and a powder keg on its own terms.
From Slate • Sep. 12, 2025
But the skiff keeps drifting closer and closer and when I can almost reach out and touch it I let go the keg and kick like mad and pull myself into the boat.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
