ballpoint pen

noun

ball·​point pen ˈbȯl-ˌpȯint- 

variants or less commonly ballpoint

ˈbȯl-ˌpȯint 

: a pen having as the writing point a small rotating metal ball that inks itself by contact with an inner magazine

Examples of ballpoint pen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The untrained artist began drawing only in her seventies, but her still lifes, often made after dark with humble materials like everyday markers and ballpoint pen, bristle with energy. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2026

Leatherman rounds out the Adapter kit with a slim eyeglass screwdriver and ballpoint pen cartridge that slide into slots on the outside of the handle. — New Atlas, 21 July 2026

Cobain left behind a note written in a red ballpoint pen. — Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026

Clark is accused of setting up a covert video-recording device, disguised in a ballpoint pen, in the bathroom of a residence, using it to capture intimate footage of people, including minors, according to the case affidavit of probable cause. — Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ballpoint pen

• businessmen
• councilmen
• henequen
• julienne
• madeleine
• middlemen
• minutemen
• motormen
• patrolmen
• repairmen
• saracen
• signalmen