as in penitentiary
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
earned six years in a federal pen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in writer
a person who creates a written work
Alexander Hamilton is reckoned to be the pseudonymous pen behind two thirds of the Federalist Papers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to house
to close or shut in by or as if by barriers
remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to write
to compose and set down on paper the words of
though relatively unknown at the time of his death, the composer had penned some of the most memorable show tunes of his era
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pen
Maveah Griffith, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
The 'Epi-pen' for heart attacks Selatogrel is an auto-injector that patients can administer at the first signs of a potential heart attack.
—Justin Zacks, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026
In a profile that longtime friend Michael Wilbon penned for The Washington Post ahead of the game, Fitzgerald recalled his son asking him about retirement.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pen
Noun
The two were meeting as part of a vape pen purchase that later turned into a robbery attempt, according to the report.
—Maveah Griffith, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
The 'Epi-pen' for heart attacks Selatogrel is an auto-injector that patients can administer at the first signs of a potential heart attack.
—Justin Zacks, CNBC, 4 June 2026
Verb
In the writers’ room, Hart was often writing two or three songs at a time and penned a couple dozen songs in total.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 June 2026
In a profile that longtime friend Michael Wilbon penned for The Washington Post ahead of the game, Fitzgerald recalled his son asking him about retirement.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pen
Noun
-
Mike Braun opened the Speedway Slammer at an Indiana prison, Jim Pillen opened the Cornhusker Clink at a Nebraska work camp, and Jeff Landry opened the Louisiana Lockup in a disused wing of Angola penitentiary.—
Eric Schlosser,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
-
This includes providing the Colombian military more leeway in the field, signing a new security agreement with Washington and building 10 mega-prisons that mimic Bukele’s network of penitentiaries in El Salvador.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
McNabb, who had on a cage to protect his face, is Vegas’ best defensive defenseman.—
Mark Anderson,
Twin Cities,
7 June 2026
-
Some larger workstation chassis nowadays include a bay for a second power supply (often the design is a trade-off between using that second supply bay and a drive-bay cage).—
John Burek,
PC Magazine,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Over the years, writers from around the world have tried their hands at using soccer as a backdrop for memorable fiction.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Staff writer Jeff Horseman contributed to this report.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Visitors passing through the imposing glass doors of FamilySearch Library on Salt Lake City’s Temple Square are likely to pause at the sheer size of the five-story, 135,000-square-foot archive, which houses the largest collection of genealogical data in the world.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Wildland Bost and Resnick’s inviting, communal, all-day cafe is housed in a large industrial space that was once a boogie board factory.—
Dyana Lederman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Lee writes for the Associated Press.—
Matthew Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
The play, Lessing writes, ought to be a tremendous success and run forever.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Abdulrahman Oriyomi, 25, was charged with felony impairing or interrupting operation of a critical infrastructure facility last week and was booked into jail in Harris County, Texas, on Friday, according to court records.—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
-
Panahi was released from his latest stint in jail in February 2023 after going on hunger strike.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
See the custom Victorian-style coop Vice President JD Vance and his family recently installed on the grounds of the US Naval Observatory.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
10 June 2026
-
Some advocates have even begun taking legal action against the coop, hoping to see the items restored to the shelves.—
Jackie Hajdenberg,
Sun Sentinel,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The author’s name was never part of it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
Yuval Noah Harari, the historian and author, wrote in the Financial Times that these entities would seemingly be granted traditional human rights, like being able to own assets, hire employees, trade, sue, and donate, with decisions made by AI agents and without human liability.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pen. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
