a pin of wood or other material driven or fitted into something, as to fasten parts together, to hang things on, to make fast a rope or string on, to stop a hole, or to mark some point.
Informal. a leg, either real or wooden.
still on his pegs at 99.
a notch or degree.
to come down a peg.
an occasion, basis, or reason.
a peg to hang a grievance on.
Music. Also a pin of wood or metal in the neck of a stringed instrument that may be turned in its socket to adjust a string's tension.
Informal. a throw, especially in baseball.
The peg to the plate was late.
Economics. the level at which some price, exchange rate, etc., is set.
British, Indian English. an alcoholic drink, especially a whiskey or brandy and soda.
British. clothespin.
to drive or insert a peg into.
to fasten with or as with pegs.
to mark with pegs.
to strike or pierce with or as with a peg.
to keep (the commodity price, exchange rate, etc.) at a set level, as by manipulation or law.
Informal. to throw (a ball).
Journalism. to base (an article, feature story, etc.) upon; justify by (usually followed byon ).
The feature on the chief of police was pegged on the riots.
Informal. to identify.
to peg someone as a good prospect.
to work or continue persistently or energetically.
to peg away at a homework assignment.
Informal. to throw a ball.
Croquet. to strike a peg, as in completing a game.
a small cylindrical pin or dowel, sometimes slightly tapered, used to join two parts together
a pin pushed or driven into a surface: used to mark scores, define limits, support coats, etc
music any of several pins passing through the head ( peg box ) of a stringed instrument, which can be turned so as to tune strings wound around them See also pin
US and Canadian equivalent: clothespin. Also called: clothes peg. a split or hinged pin for fastening wet clothes to a line to dry
informal a person's leg
dialect a tooth
a small drink of wine or spirits, esp of brandy or whisky and soda
an opportunity or pretext for doing something
a peg on which to hang a theory
a mountaineering piton
croquet a post that a player's ball must strike to win the game
angling a fishing station allotted to an angler in a competition, marked by a peg in the ground
informal a level of self-esteem, importance, etc (esp in the phrases bring or take down a peg )
informal See peg leg
(of clothes) ready to wear, as opposed to tailor-made
(tr) to knock or insert a peg into or pierce with a peg
to secure with pegs
to peg a tent
mountaineering to insert or use pitons
(tr) to mark (a score) with pegs, as in some card games
informal (tr) to aim and throw (missiles) at a target
(intr; foll by away, along, etc) to work steadily
he pegged away at his job for years
(tr) to stabilize (the price of a commodity, an exchange rate, etc) by legislation or market operations
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pegge (noun), peggen (verb), from Middle Dutch
A peg is a bolt or pin that holds something in place or marks a location. When you use peg as a verb, it means to identify someone or something: "I pegged you as a word lover, the first time I laid eyes on you." A coat rack might consist of a line of wooden pegs, and you might also secure a tent by driving metal pegs into the ground to hold it there. When you fasten or pierce something with a peg, you can say you peg it. Informally, if you peg a person, you make a judgment about them: "I'd peg him as a messy housekeeper based on the way his dorm room looks."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
NBC News reported that, according to internal estimates by the Defense Department peg the amount at $80 billion to $100 billion.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
In his first campaign at Anfield, Wirtz too often appeared a square peg in a round hole, playing in behind the strikers as well on the flanks, but never flourishing.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The Genius Act provides regulators with a robust arsenal of tools to ensure that stablecoins maintain their one-to-one peg.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Goldman sees the S&P 500 rising to 8000 by the end of the year, a 6.4% advance from current levels, which would peg its 2026 gain at around 16.6%.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Rumor has it that the crewmen with peg legs got that way because they were caught playing soccer on deck.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Peg Pardini began as a fitness trainer and became a CPR coach in her 50s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“When Liam was taken, we had this devastating loss,” Valley View teacher Peg Nelson said.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2026
"The labor market came in a little bit better than I came to expect over the last few months," he told The Peg, a Substack page run by journalist Izabella Kaminska.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
It finally dawned on Eleanor Smeal and her foundation co-founder, the late Peg Yorkin, that the fate of Ms. was entirely in their hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2023
Peg, you've made this tea so strong it's as red as blood.
From Superwomen by Terhune, Albert Payson
Hong Leong maintains an overweight rating on Malaysia’s automotive sector given its resilient earnings and attractive dividend yields, and pegs MBM Resources and Sime Darby as top picks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s survey pegs the decline at about 17.5 percent within city limits during that period.
From Slate ● Jun. 3, 2026
Forbes pegs her net worth at roughly $1.9 billion.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Finds included bone pegs for stretching vellum as it dried, and tools such as knives and pumice stones for scraping and smoothing animal hides.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
There were pegs along the walls for clothes, and a sheet of tin nailed to the wall served as a crude mirror.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Sanders pegged voter disaffection on the increasing difficulty and cost of living in the United States.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
It pegged the band, in its members' own words, as "the queer joy mini-skirt rollerblade, external" crew - but their music has always dug deeper than that.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The case is important because Imperial County has pegged its future to lithium, a mineral critical for electric car batteries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
A recent poll pegged support among the state’s voters at 64%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
At the corner of the building, four Twister mats have been pegged into the grass, and about a dozen kids are wrapped around each other, pretzel-style.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Benchmark 10-year Treasury note yields jumped more than five basis points in overnight trading, pegging the paper at 4.535%, the highest in nearly a year.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Nvidia, meanwhile, edged 0.2% higher to $199.99 each, pegging its market cap at just over $4.86 trillion.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Cody was most familiar with Pedretti’s performance in “You,” pegging the actor as an “intense brunet” that didn’t square at first with her interpretation of Cherry as an Anna Nicole Smith type.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
RHB maintains a neutral rating on the sector, pegging DBS Group and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. as its top picks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
After the first two weeks, Turner was pegging lobster claws as fast as Willis and not getting pinched any more than anyone else.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
