Peg vs. Clip — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on May 7, 2024
A peg is a small cylindrical or tapered pin used to hang things or as a fastening, while a clip is a device that holds objects tightly together.
Difference Between Peg and Clip
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A peg is typically a small, cylindrical or sometimes tapered piece, used to fit into holes in an adjoining part to fasten things together, or to hang items like clothes or pictures. On the other hand, a clip is generally a device made of metal or plastic designed to hold or secure objects tightly together, often by spring action or friction.
While pegs are primarily used in scenarios requiring alignment or securing separate pieces in a non-clamping manner, such as in furniture assembly or in securing tents with ground pegs, clips are used to apply pressure to hold items together, such as papers in a paperclip or hair with a hair clip.
Pegs often function by being inserted into or through objects, relying on fit and friction to maintain position and stability. In contrast, clips usually enclose or grip items between two or more components, utilizing mechanical or spring pressure to maintain contact.
In terms of versatility, pegs are often specific to their application (like tent pegs or shelf pegs) and cannot easily substitute for other types, whereas clips often serve a broader range of applications beyond their specific design, such as using a binder clip for various sizes of paper stacks.
Pegs are also integral to traditional games and musical instruments, like cribbage or securing strings in some stringed musical instruments. Clips, however, often find utility in everyday office, home, and personal organization, illustrating their practical diversity in everyday life.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Fastening or hanging by insertion
Holding objects together by clamping
Material Form
Cylindrical or tapered
Often designed with a spring mechanism
Typical Material
Wood, metal, plastic
Metal, plastic
Application
Furniture assembly, games, musical instruments
Office supplies, hair accessories, clothes
Mechanism
Fit and friction
Pressure and grip
Compare with Definitions
Peg
A point or limit on a scale, especially of exchange rates.
The currency's value was pegged to the dollar.
Clip
To trim or cut off a small part of something.
She clipped the coupon from the magazine.
Peg
A marker used in board games.
We moved our pegs along the game board as we scored points.
Clip
A flexible or spring-loaded device for holding objects.
He used a clip to keep his tie in place.
Peg
A position or degree in a hierarchy.
He reached the top peg of his career.
Clip
A device that holds things tightly together.
She gathered her papers and fastened them with a clip.
Peg
A small pin or bolt, typically tapered, used to secure or hang items.
He used a wooden peg to hang his coat.
Clip
To attach or fasten with a clip.
He clipped his ID badge to his shirt.
Peg
A pin or dowel used to secure the parts of an assembly.
She fitted the shelf onto the wall using strong pegs.
Clip
A segment of a movie or broadcast.
The viral clip was shared across social media.
Peg
A small cylindrical or tapered pin, as of wood, used to fasten things or plug a hole.
Clip
A flexible or spring-loaded device for holding an object or objects together or in place
He undid two clips and lifted the lid
A gilt clip fastened her hair
Peg
A similar pin forming a projection that may be used as a support or boundary marker.
Clip
A metal holder containing cartridges for an automatic firearm
He shot twice, but his clip was empty
Peg
(Music) One of the pins of a stringed instrument that are turned to tighten or slacken the strings so as to regulate their pitch.
Clip
An act of clipping or trimming something
I gave him a full clip
Peg
A degree or notch, as in estimation
Our opinion of him went up a few pegs after he did the dishes.
Clip
A short sequence taken from a film or broadcast
Clips from earlier shows
A film clip
Peg
Chiefly British A drink of liquor.
Clip
A smart or glancing blow
I'd give him a clip round the ear
Peg
(Baseball) A low and fast throw made to put a base runner out.
Clip
A specified speed or rate of movement, especially when rapid
We crossed the dance floor at an amazingly fast clip
Peg
(Informal) A leg, especially a wooden one.
Clip
Fasten or be fastened with a clip or clips
She clipped on a pair of diamond earrings
The panels simply clip on to the framework
Peg
To fasten or plug with a peg or pegs.
Clip
Cut short or trim (hair, vegetation, etc.) with shears or scissors
I was clipping the hedge
Peg
To designate or mark by means of a peg or pegs.
Clip
Strike smartly or with a glancing blow
The car clipped the kerb
He'll clip your ear
Peg
To fix (a price) at a certain level or within a certain range.
Clip
Swindle or rob
In all the years he ran the place, he was clipped only three times
Peg
(Informal) To classify; categorize
I pegged her as an opportunist. Why do you have me pegged as the rowdy one?.
Clip
Move quickly
We clip down the track
Peg
To hit, especially with a thrown object or fired projectile
She pegged him on the head with a snowball.
Clip
To cut, cut off, or cut out with or as if with shears
Clip coupons.
Clipped three seconds off the record.
Peg
To throw or fire (an object or projectile)
“How did you learn to peg a ball as straight as this?” (Zane Grey).
Clip
To make shorter by cutting; trim
Clip a hedge.
Peg
To work steadily; persist
Pegged away until our luck turned.
Clip
To cut off the edge of
Clip a coin.
Peg
Wide at the top and narrowing toward the bottom
Peg jeans.
A peg skirt.
Clip
To cut short; curtail.
Peg
A cylindrical wooden or metal object used to fasten or as a bearing between objects.
Clip
To shorten (a word or words) by leaving out letters or syllables.
Peg
A protrusion used to hang things on.
Hang your coat on the peg and come in.
Clip
To enunciate with clarity and precision
Clip one's words.
Peg
(figurative) A support; a reason; a pretext.
A peg to hang a claim upon
Clip
(Informal) To hit with a sharp blow
Clipped me under the eye.
Peg
(cribbage) A peg moved on a crib board to keep score.
Clip
(Football) To block (an opponent) illegally from the rear.
Peg
(finance) A fixed exchange rate, where a currency's value is matched to the value of another currency or measure such as gold.
Clip
(Sports) To hit or kick (the ball) in a certain direction.
Peg
(UK) A small quantity of a strong alcoholic beverage.
Clip
(Slang) To cheat, swindle, or rob.
Peg
A place formally allotted for fishing
Clip
To cut something.
Peg
A leg or foot.
Clip
(Informal) To move rapidly.
Peg
One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained.
Clip
To fasten with or as if with a clip; hold tightly.
Peg
A step; a degree.
Clip
(Archaic) To embrace or encompass.
Peg
Ellipsis of clothes peg
Clip
The act of clipping.
Peg
(journalism) A topic of interest, such as an ongoing event or an anniversary, around which various features can be developed.
Clip
The wool shorn at one shearing, as of sheep.
Peg
A stump.
Clip
A season's shearing.
Peg
(slang) The penetration of one's (male) partner in the anus using a dildo.
Get your strap-on out and give me a nice peg!
Clip
A short extract from a movie or television program.
Peg
A serving of brandy and soda.
Clip
(Informal) A quick sharp blow
A clip on the ear.
Peg
(India) A serving of any hard spirit, particularly whisky.
Clip
(Football) An illegal block from the rear.
Peg
A shilling.
Clip
(Informal) A pace or rate
Go at a fast clip.
Peg
(transitive) To fasten using a peg.
Let's peg the rug to the floor.
Clip
A single occasion; a time
Could write nine pages at a clip.
Peg
(transitive) To affix or pin.
I found a tack and pegged your picture to the bulletin board.
She lunged forward and pegged him to the wall.
Clip
Clips A pair of shears or clippers.
Peg
(transitive) To fix a value or price.
China's currency is no longer pegged to the American dollar.
Clip
Any of various devices for gripping or holding things together; a clasp or fastener.
Peg
(transitive) To narrow the cuff openings of a pair of pants so that the legs take on a peg shape.
Clip
A piece of jewelry that fastens with a clasp or clip, such as an earring or a brooch.
Peg
To throw.
Clip
A cartridge clip.
Peg
To indicate or ascribe an attribute to. (Assumed to originate from the use of pegs or pins as markers on a bulletin board or a list.)
He's been pegged as a suspect.
I pegged his weight at 165.
Clip
To grip tightly.
Peg
(cribbage) To move one's pegs to indicate points scored; to score with a peg.
She pegged twelve points.
Clip
To fasten with a clip.
Please clip the photos to the pages where they will go.
Peg
To reach or exceed the maximum value on (a scale or gauge).
We pegged the speedometer across the flats.
Clip
(archaic) To hug, embrace.
Peg
(intransitive) To keep working hard at something; to peg away.
Clip
(slang) To collect signatures, generally with the use of a clipboard.
Peg
To drink alcohol frequently, especially brandy and soda; to tipple.
Clip
To cut, especially with scissors or shears as opposed to a knife etc.
She clipped my hair with her scissors.
Please clip that coupon out of the newspaper.
Peg
A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening boards together, in attaching the soles of boots or shoes, etc.; as, a shoe peg.
Clip
To curtail; to cut short.
Peg
A wooden pin, or nail, on which to hang things, as coats, etc. Hence, colloquially and figuratively: A support; a reason; a pretext; as, a peg to hang a claim upon.
Clip
To strike with the hand.
I’ll clip ye round the lugs!
Peg
One of the pins of a musical instrument, on which the strings are strained.
Clip
To hit or strike, especially in passing.
The car skidded off the road and clipped a lamppost.
Peg
One of the pins used for marking points on a cribbage board.
Clip
(American football) To perform an illegal tackle, throwing the body across the back of an opponent's leg or hitting him from the back below the waist while moving up from behind unless the opponent is a runner or the action is in close line play.
Peg
A step; a degree; esp. in the slang phrase "To take one down a peg."
To screw papal authority to the highest peg.
And took your grandees down a peg.
Clip
(signal processing) To cut off a signal level at a certain maximum value.
Peg
A drink of spirits, usually whisky or brandy diluted with soda water.
This over, the club will be visited for a "peg," Anglice drink.
Clip
(computer graphics) To discard (an occluded part of a model or scene) rather than waste resources on rendering it.
Peg
A hard throw, especially one made to put out a baserunner; as, the peg to the plate went wild.
Clip
To move (through or into) (a rendered object or barrier).
The camera keeps clipping that ceiling.
Clipping through walls is integral to the game's speedruns.
Oh, no, I clipped my avatar through the barrier!
Peg
To put pegs into; to fasten the parts of with pegs; as, to peg shoes; to confine with pegs; to restrict or limit closely.
I will rend an oakAnd peg thee in his knotty entrails.
Clip
To cheat, swindle, or fleece.
Peg
To score with a peg, as points in the game; as, she pegged twelwe points.
Clip
To grab or take stealthily
Peg
To identify; to recognize; as, she pegged him as a good carpenter; he was pegged as a blowhard as soon as he started speaking; he was pegged as a exceptional player even in high school.
Clip
Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another.
Use this clip to attach the check to your tax form.
Peg
To throw (a ball); as, he pegged the runner out at second.
Clip
An unspecified, but normally understood as rapid, speed or pace.
She reads at a pretty good clip.
He was walking at a fair clip and I was out of breath trying to keep up.
Peg
To work diligently, as one who pegs shoes; - usually with on, at, or away; as, to peg away at a task.
Clip
(obsolete) An embrace.
Peg
A wooden pin pushed or driven into a surface
Clip
(military) A frame containing a number of rounds of ammunition which is intended to be inserted into an internal magazine of a firearm to allow for rapid reloading.
Peg
Small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc.
Clip
A removable magazine of a firearm.
Peg
Informal terms of the leg;
Fever left him weak on his sticks
Clip
A projecting flange on the upper edge of a horseshoe, turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the hoof; a toe clip or beak.
Peg
A prosthesis that replaces a missing leg
Clip
A gaff or hook for landing the fish, as in salmon fishing.
Peg
Regulator that can be turned to regulate the pitch of the strings of a stringed instrument
Clip
Something which has been clipped from a larger whole:
Peg
A holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing
Clip
The product of a single shearing of sheep.
Peg
Succeed in obtaining a position;
He nailed down a spot at Harvard
Clip
A season's crop of wool.
Peg
Pierce with a wooden pin or knock or thrust a wooden pin into into
Clip
A section of video taken from a film, broadcast, or other longer video
The morning news today played a clip of last night's debate.
The 100th episode of Seinfeld consisted of clips from previous episodes.
Peg
Fasten or secure with a wooden pin;
Peg a tent
Clip
A newspaper clipping.
Peg
Stabilize (the price of a commodity or an exchange rate) by legislation or market operations;
The weak currency was pegged to the US Dollar
Clip
An act of clipping, such as a haircut.
I went into the salon to get a clip.
Clip
The condition of something, its state.
Deeky the clip of that aad wife ower thor!
Clip
(informal) A blow with the hand (often in the set phrase clip round the ear)
Give him a clip round the ear!
Clip
To embrace, hence; to encompass.
O . . . that Neptune's arms, who clippeth thee about,Would bear thee from the knowledge of thyself.
Clip
To cut off; as with shears or scissors; as, to clip the hair; to clip coin.
Sentenced to have his ears clipped.
Clip
To curtail; to cut short.
All my reports go with the modest truth;No more nor clipped, but so.
In London they clip their words after one manner about the court, another in the city, and a third in the suburbs.
Clip
To move swiftly; - usually with indefinite it.
Straight flies as chek, and clips it down the wind.
Clip
An embrace.
Clip
A cutting; a shearing.
Clip
The product of a single shearing of sheep; a season's crop of wool.
Clip
A clasp or holder for letters, papers, etc.
Clip
An embracing strap for holding parts together; the iron strap, with loop, at the ends of a whiffletree.
Clip
A projecting flange on the upper edge of a horseshoe, turned up so as to embrace the lower part of the hoof; - called also toe clip and beak.
Clip
A blow or stroke with the hand; as, he hit him a clip.
Clip
A part, attachment, or appendage, for seizing, clasping, or holding, an object, as a cable, etc.
Clip
A gaff or hook for landing the fish, as in salmon fishing.
Clip
A rapid gait.
Clip
A metal frame or container holding cartridges; can be inserted into an automatic gun
Clip
An instance or single occasion for some event;
This time he succeeded
He called four times
He could do ten at a clip
Clip
Any of various small fasteners used to hold loose articles together
Clip
An article of jewelry that can be clipped onto a hat or dress
Clip
The act of clipping or snipping
Clip
A sharp slanting blow;
He gave me a clip on the ear
Clip
Sever or remove by pinching or snipping;
Nip off the flowers
Clip
Run at a moderately swift pace
Clip
Attach with a clip;
Clip the papers together
Clip
Cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of;
Dress the plants in the garden
Clip
Terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent;
My speech was cut short
Personal freedom is curtailed in many countries
Common Curiosities
Is a peg better for outdoor use than a clip?
For specific applications like securing tents, pegs are more suitable.
What kind of clip is used for securing large amounts of paper?
A binder clip is typically used for large paper stacks.
Can a peg be made of plastic?
Yes, pegs can be made from various materials including plastic.
What are common uses for clips outside of office settings?
Clips are widely used in hair styling, clothing, and for securing bags.
Are there specific clips for electronic use?
Yes, such as ESD clips that prevent electrostatic discharge.
How do materials affect the choice between a peg and a clip?
The choice depends on the required strength, durability, and environmental resistance.
Are pegs used in sports?
Yes, pegs are used in sports like cribbage and also in securing sports equipment.
Can clips be used for decorative purposes?
Yes, clips such as hair clips or brooches serve both functional and decorative purposes.
What’s a common material for outdoor pegs?
Metal, for its durability and strength.
How do pegs and clips differ in their mechanism?
Pegs rely on fit and friction; clips use pressure and grip.
Can the functionality of pegs extend beyond simple fastening?
Yes, they also serve as alignment or positional aids in assembly tasks.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
