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.
Peg Ginsberg recalls squad cars speeding past her Main Street watercolor studio the day the groups swarmed the facility.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 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
Among the producers on the film are Lars Knudsen and director Ari Aster and their company Square Peg.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2024
Afterward, in remorse, Peg is said to have dropped Darnley.
From Superwomen by Terhune, Albert Payson
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.
