keg
Americannoun
-
kegs
plural
-
a small cask or barrel, usually holding from 5 to 10 gallons (19 to 38 liters).
-
a unit of weight, equal to 100 pounds (45 kilograms), used for nails.
-
Also kegger. a keg party; beer bust.
noun
-
a small barrel with a capacity of between five and ten gallons
-
-
an aluminium container in which beer is transported and stored
-
Also called: keg beer. beer kept in a keg: it is infused with gas and served under pressure
-
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
It was a powder keg waiting to blow.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
In 1768 King George III filled Boston with armed troops, creating a powder keg; in two years the spark of a single rifle shot would explode the Boston Massacre.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
For Crudup, Timothy isn’t a bitter powder keg but a man looking for a little closure, someone who has made peace with the past until the moment he doesn’t get the apology he’s expecting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 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
If I could get the water keg down the hill, and the last pieces of chocolate out of the box, I’d be all right for a few days.
From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor
During the American Revolution, George Washington authorized an inventor to send explosive kegs against British shipping on the Delaware River, though the attack failed to hit its targets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
It is commonly used as a synonym for small: Kegs are a half barrel of beer, while pony kegs are a quarter barrel, Purser said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Enda Murray, landlord of three pubs in London, says that his supplier has restricted his supply of Guinness to one or two kegs per pub - just 10% of what they need.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2024
Tires, kegs and a safe are among the belongings piled on the front lawn.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 14, 2024
The common room was long and drafty, with a row of huge wooden kegs at one end and a fireplace at the other.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
