# peg down

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/peg-down
Updated: 2026-10-22

## Definition

to fasten something to the ground so it does not move. You can also use it when you try to make someone give you a clear, specific answer.

For teachers: to secure an object to the ground using pegs; by extension, to limit or fix a price, or to force a person to commit to a specific detail.

## Examples

- We should peg down the tent before it gets too windy.
- The manager tried to peg down the contractor to a fixed price before the project started.
- While the literal sense involves securing a groundsheet, the figurative usage often appears in political discourse when journalists attempt to peg down elusive candidates to specific policy commitments.

## Pitfalls

- Not "We need to peg out the tent." but "We need to peg down the tent." — 'Peg out' usually means to hang laundry on a line or, informally, to die; 'peg down' is the correct term for securing something to the ground.

## Usage notes

- The object can be a physical thing like a tent or an abstract thing like a price or a date.
- Teaching tip: Contrast with 'pin down'; while often interchangeable in figurative senses, 'peg down' retains a stronger connection to physical stability or fixed values.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.