pen in
idiom
: to prevent (someone or something) from moving beyond a particular area
The prisoners were penned in by a high fence.
—often used figurativelyShe felt penned in by their relationship.
Examples of pen in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An image: that of a pale young girl, hair sensibly fastened with a barrette, sitting at her desk, a pen in her hand.
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Literary Hub, 20 Nov. 2025
On top of all this, how one wrote with these old pens was very different from today, beyond having to keep dipping a nib pen in the ink every few words.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
In one instance, five youth in a detention center were strip-searched because one of them might have been charging a vape pen in a computer classroom, the review found.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
Until one meeting in 2019. McLaughlin was sitting in a conference room, surrounded by colleagues, kicked back in a chair, twirling a pen in her hands.
—Corey Buhay, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pen in
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Literary Hub, 20 Nov. 2025
On top of all this, how one wrote with these old pens was very different from today, beyond having to keep dipping a nib pen in the ink every few words.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
In one instance, five youth in a detention center were strip-searched because one of them might have been charging a vape pen in a computer classroom, the review found.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 30 Sep. 2025
Until one meeting in 2019. McLaughlin was sitting in a conference room, surrounded by colleagues, kicked back in a chair, twirling a pen in her hands.
—Corey Buhay, Outside, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pen in
Cite this Entry
“Pen in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pen%20in. Accessed 12 Dec. 2025.
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