peg

¹

[ peg ]

noun

1. 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.
2. Informal. a leg, either real or wooden:

   still on his pegs at 99.

3. a notch or degree:

   to come down a peg.

4. an occasion, basis, or reason:

   a peg to hang a grievance on.

5. Also . Music. 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.
6. Informal. a throw, especially in baseball:

   The peg to the plate was late.

7. news peg.
8. Economics. the level at which some price, exchange rate, etc., is set.
9. British, Indian English. an alcoholic drink, especially a whiskey or brandy and soda.
10. British. clothespin.

verb (used with object)

, pegged, peg·ging.

1. to drive or insert a peg into.
2. to fasten with or as with pegs.
3. to mark with pegs.
4. to strike or pierce with or as with a peg.
5. to keep (the commodity price, exchange rate, etc.) at a set level, as by manipulation or law.
6. Informal. to throw (a ball).
7. Journalism. to base (an article, feature story, etc.) upon; justify by (usually followed by on ):

   The feature on the chief of police was pegged on the riots.

8. Informal. to identify:

   to peg someone as a good prospect.

verb (used without object)

, pegged, peg·ging.

1. to work or continue persistently or energetically:

   to peg away at a homework assignment.

2. Informal. to throw a ball.
3. Croquet. to strike a peg, as in completing a game.

adjective

1. Also pegged. tapered toward the bottom of the leg:

   peg trousers.

Peg

²

[ peg ]

noun

1. a female given name, form of Peggy.

peg

/ pɛɡ /

noun

1. a small cylindrical pin or dowel, sometimes slightly tapered, used to join two parts together
2. a pin pushed or driven into a surface: used to mark scores, define limits, support coats, etc
3. 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
4. Also calledclothes peg a split or hinged pin for fastening wet clothes to a line to dry US and Canadian equivalentclothespin
5. informal.
   a person's leg
6. dialect.
   a tooth
7. a small drink of wine or spirits, esp of brandy or whisky and soda
8. an opportunity or pretext for doing something

   a peg on which to hang a theory

9. a mountaineering piton
10. croquet a post that a player's ball must strike to win the game
11. angling a fishing station allotted to an angler in a competition, marked by a peg in the ground
12. informal.
    a level of self-esteem, importance, etc (esp in the phrases bring or take down a peg )
13. informal.
    See peg leg
14. off the peg
    (of clothes) ready to wear, as opposed to tailor-made

verb

1. tr to knock or insert a peg into or pierce with a peg
2. trsometimes foll bydown to secure with pegs

   to peg a tent

3. mountaineering to insert or use pitons
4. tr to mark (a score) with pegs, as in some card games
5. informal.
   tr to aim and throw (missiles) at a target
6. intr; foll by away, along, etc to work steadily

   he pegged away at his job for years

7. tr to stabilize (the price of a commodity, an exchange rate, etc) by legislation or market operations

Other Words From

• peg·less adjective
• peg·like adjective
• re·peg verb repegged repegging

Word History and Origins

Origin of peg¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pegge (noun), peggen (verb), from Middle Dutch

Word History and Origins

Origin of peg¹

C15: from Low Germanic pegge

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take down a peg, to reduce the pride or arrogance of; humble; humiliate: Also take down a notch.

   I guess that'll take him down a peg!

More idioms and phrases containing peg

In addition to the idiom beginning with peg , also see square peg in a round hole ; take down a notch (peg) .

Example Sentences

In the seventeenth century, Thomas Hobbes pegged laughter as the companion of scorn.

From Salon

Think of the toddler's classic hammer-and-bench toy, with square, circular, triangular and star-shaped wooden pegs that can each only fit in the correspondingly shaped hole in the bench.

From Science Daily

A June assessment by the California State Water Resources Control Board pegged the cost of repairing failing and at-risk public water systems at about $11.5 billion.

From Salon

The unwieldy best-of-three format, on the other hand, fits like a square peg in a round hole.

From Los Angeles Times

Missouri’s estimate of the number of ER visits in 2022 by women experiencing complications and enrolled in Medicaid was about eight to twelve, pegged to a range of complication rates.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fix