1
a
: a small enclosure for animals
b
: the animals in a pen
a pen of sheep
2
: a small place of confinement or storage
3
: a protected dock or slip for a submarine
4
1
: an implement for writing or drawing with ink or a similar fluid: such as
a
: quill
b
c
: a penholder containing a pen point
d
e
2
a
: a writing instrument regarded as a means of expression
enlisted the pens of the best writers—
F. H. Chase
F. H. Chase
b
: writer
3
: the internal horny feather-shaped shell of a squid
4
5
: a medical device for injecting drugs that resembles a fountain pen, contains a cartridge prefilled with usually several doses of medication, and when designed for multiple injections has a needle that is replaced after each use
insulin pens
People accidentally exposed to a food culprit can use the pen to inject themselves with a dose of epinephrine—also known as adrenaline—to avoid a severe allergic reaction.—Walecia Konrad
Walecia Konrad
: a female swan
peninsula
International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists
Synonyms
Examples of pen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebMelissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman penned a poem dedicated to Swift, as printed inside the CD casings of the 16-track record.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Popular on Variety Along with producing and starring in the film, Canet also penned the script with Rodolphe Lauga, in association with David Corona.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Yes, she’s penned more than a dozen books chronicling tales of intrigue, romance, and adventure.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Seth Grahame-Smith, the genre scribe behind The Lego Batman Movie and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Eric Warren have penned drafts over the years.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
The Good American co-founder also penned another sweet tribute to her daughter in a grid post on Instagram featuring photos of True wearing a pink dress with bunny ears and cowgirl boots.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Staff members penned a letter calling for SBTi’s chief executive and board members backing the recent statement to leave their posts, according to Reuters.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 15 Apr. 2024
Two-actor musicals are still relatively rare, and only a fraction of those are penned for both roles to be played by women.
—Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Pamela Avila, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Now that the drugs are in shortage, patients and doctors are chasing whatever size injection pen and whatever brand is available.
—Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
The laptop compartment holds devices up to 15.6 inches, and there’s a front compartment with pockets, pen pockets, key fob hooks, and more.
—Lauren Finney Harden, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2024
With the stroke of the governor’s pen, local governments in Florida are now blocked from requiring heat protections for outdoor workers, driving a stake through the heart of Miami-Dade County’s efforts to keep farmworkers and construction workers safe from extreme heat.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The footage shows giraffes and zebra rampaging in their pens before the eclipse — a reaction Hartstone-Rose attributes to human anticipation of the impending eclipse.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
It's made with vegan leather and features a compartmentalized interior with a padded laptop pocket, slip pockets, pen pockets and a removable pouch.
—Claire Peltier, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2024
With a padded laptop sleeve, pen loops, and various zippered pockets, this backpack fits everything on your desk into one cute and stylish bag.
—L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
The audience sits on all four sides of their pen, where actors costumed as black and white sheep wander about dead-eyed, baa-ing, munching lettuce and attempting to escape.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
The mutual admiration society between Swift and Nicks can be traced to 2010, when the pair shared the stage at the Grammy Awards (the performance was not universally beloved) and later that year, when Nicks penned an essay about the burgeoning superstar for Time magazine.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
The Fleetwood Mac frontwoman penned a poem dedicated to Swift, as printed inside the CD casings of the 16-track record.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Popular on Variety Along with producing and starring in the film, Canet also penned the script with Rodolphe Lauga, in association with David Corona.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Yes, she’s penned more than a dozen books chronicling tales of intrigue, romance, and adventure.
—TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
Seth Grahame-Smith, the genre scribe behind The Lego Batman Movie and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Eric Warren have penned drafts over the years.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Apr. 2024
The Good American co-founder also penned another sweet tribute to her daughter in a grid post on Instagram featuring photos of True wearing a pink dress with bunny ears and cowgirl boots.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Staff members penned a letter calling for SBTi’s chief executive and board members backing the recent statement to leave their posts, according to Reuters.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 15 Apr. 2024
Two-actor musicals are still relatively rare, and only a fraction of those are penned for both roles to be played by women.
—Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
Everything his pen touches turns to the best album, record or song of the year.
—Pamela Avila, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024
Now that the drugs are in shortage, patients and doctors are chasing whatever size injection pen and whatever brand is available.
—Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
The laptop compartment holds devices up to 15.6 inches, and there’s a front compartment with pockets, pen pockets, key fob hooks, and more.
—Lauren Finney Harden, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2024
With the stroke of the governor’s pen, local governments in Florida are now blocked from requiring heat protections for outdoor workers, driving a stake through the heart of Miami-Dade County’s efforts to keep farmworkers and construction workers safe from extreme heat.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The footage shows giraffes and zebra rampaging in their pens before the eclipse — a reaction Hartstone-Rose attributes to human anticipation of the impending eclipse.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
It's made with vegan leather and features a compartmentalized interior with a padded laptop pocket, slip pockets, pen pockets and a removable pouch.
—Claire Peltier, ABC News, 12 Apr. 2024
With a padded laptop sleeve, pen loops, and various zippered pockets, this backpack fits everything on your desk into one cute and stylish bag.
—L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
The audience sits on all four sides of their pen, where actors costumed as black and white sheep wander about dead-eyed, baa-ing, munching lettuce and attempting to escape.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pen
Cite this Entry
“Pen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pen. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pen
1 of 5 noun1
: a small enclosure for animals
2
: a small place of confinement or storage
pen
2 of 5 verb
penned; penning
: to shut in a pen
pen
3 of 5 noun
: an instrument for writing or drawing with ink
pen
4 of 5 verb
penned; penning
: to write especially with a pen
pen
5 of 5 noun
slang
Etymology
Noun
Middle English
Noun
Middle English penne "a writing instrument made from a bird's feather," from early French penne "a bird's feather, pen," from Latin penna, pinna "feather"
Noun
a shortened form of penitentiary
Word Origin
The words pen and pencil look very much alike, and the writing instruments themselves have much in common. But these two words are not at all related. Pen can be traced back to the Latin word penna or pinna, meaning "feather." The early pens were made of long feathers trimmed to a point to hold ink. In time, pens came to be made with metal points and later with rolling balls instead of points. For this reason we no longer associate the word pen with feathers. Pencil can be traced to the Latin word penicillus, which meant "little tail" or "brush." (It also gave us our word penicillin.) The first pencils were artists' brushes that had fine hairs drawn to a point, like the tail of a tiny animal. From these first pencils, used for painting fine lines, the word came to be used for other instruments used to draw marks. Some pencils were sticks of charcoal. Others were sticks of slate or lead. Still others were sticks of colored material like crayons. In time, we began using our modern wood and graphite pencils, which are not at all like the original "little tails."
Medical Definition
pen
noun
: a medical device for injecting drugs that resembles a fountain pen, contains a cartridge prefilled with usually several doses of medication, and when designed for multiple injections has a needle that is replaced after each use
Note: Medical pens are either disposable or reusable depending on whether the cartridge can be removed and replaced with a new prefilled one.
In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas can no longer produce insulin and patients must give themselves multiple daily injections with insulin pens or syringes …—The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)
The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)Illinois law allows schools to keep epinephrine pens around, and nurses or trained staff are allowed to use them in an emergency.—Mike Riopell, The Chicago Daily Herald
Mike Riopell, The Chicago Daily HeraldLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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