Peg back Definition 1 of 2Pro Tip 1/3Sports Usage Commonly used in sports to describe catching up with an opponent or team. They were trailing by two goals, but they pegged back to a draw. Pro Tip 2/3Competitive Edge Implies making a competition tighter by closing the gap. Despite their initial success, the other teams are pegging back. Pro Tip 3/3Metaphoric Visual Envision literally pulling something back to a nearer point. His rivals worked hard to peg back his lead in the polls.