pen pal

noun

: a friend made and kept through correspondence

Examples of pen pal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As Ten’s lovelorn prison pen pal Lillian, an immobile shut-in, Peggy Fields Richardson initially appears to be a punchline, but goes on to deliver a nuanced turn as a woman who’s long awaited her chance at romance. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Among them are Carey Mulligan and Marcus Mumford, who first met at Bible camp, became pen pals, and reconnected years later. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 16 Oct. 2026

Some years later, almost just as astonishingly, Stephen Dixon and I became pen pals. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

But for them, that wasn’t so far from the spirit of the early days, when kids in different towns connected via zines and became long-distance pen pals. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pen pal

• canal
• chorale
• corral
• locale
• morale
• royale
• artisanal
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• sal

Kids Definition

pen pal

noun

: a friend made and kept through letter-writing