Synonyms of pen

pen 1 of 5

noun (1)

as in penitentiary

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

earned six years in a federal pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• penitentiary
• jail
• prison
• coop
• brig
• jug
• cage
• hock
• jailhouse
• cooler
• big house
• lockup
• stockade
• bridewell
• calaboose
• guardroom
• pokey
• joint
• slammer
• hoosegow
• tank
• bastille
• nick
• clink
• cell
• stir
• slam
• hold
• tolbooth
• quod
• can
• bull pen
• dungeon
• hole
• ward
• guardhouse
• block
• labor camp
• concentration camp
• keep
• prison camp
• work camp
• gulag
• stalag
• glasshouse
• reform school
• oubliette
• hulk(s)
• reformatory
• training school

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

pen

2 of 5

noun (2)

as in cage

an enclosure with an open framework for keeping animals

a goat pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cage
• coop
• corral
• pound
• kennel
• hutch
• fence
• fold
• stockade
• kraal
• aquarium
• cote
• henhouse
• run
• pigpen
• dovecote
• sheepfold
• dovecot
• terrarium
• live-box

pen

3 of 5

noun (3)

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

• writer
• author
• novelist
• man of letters
• poet
• storyteller
• woman of letters
• penman
• littérateur
• litterateur
• biographer
• scribe
• scrivener
• screenwriter
• scribbler
• blogger
• columnist
• stylist
• wordsmith
• reporter
• playwright
• ghostwriter
• cowriter
• dramatist
• belletrist
• hack
• journalist
• essayist
• coauthor
• fictionist
• memoirist
• memorialist
• fictioneer
• autobiographer
• scriptwriter
• auteur
• hatchet man
• pamphleteer
• hagiographer
• bard
• belle-lettrist
• fabulist
• satirist
• scenarist
• versifier
• newspaperman
• proser
• romancer
• sportswriter
• wordmonger
• rhymer
• coscenarist
• paragrapher
• prosaist
• prosateur

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nonauthor

pen

4 of 5

verb (1)

ˈpen 

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

• house
• cage
• enclose
• confine
• inclose
• closet
• box (in)
• encase
• fence (in)
• include
• hem (in)
• wall (in)
• hedge
• surround
• envelop
• corral
• encage
• coop (up)
• bound
• immure
• mew (up)
• ring
• limit
• restrict
• contain
• circumscribe
• armor
• encompass
• frame
• enframe
• encircle
• enfold
• encapsule
• enlace
• encapsulate
• ensheathe
• ensphere
• cocoon
• encyst
• enwomb

pen

5 of 5

verb (2)

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

• write
• author
• scribble
• compose
• scratch (out)
• record
• print
• craft
• letter
• type
• rewrite
• sign
• draft
• formulate
• word
• revise
• transcribe
• cast
• draw up
• phrase
• prepare
• pencil (in)
• recast
• typewrite
• redraft
• frame
• couch
• take down
• autograph
• register
• put
• express

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pen

Noun

First on the docket is a pile of cords knotted together, ensnaring an eyelash curler and a pen. —Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 June 2025

Sunlight View gallery - 9 images Good things happen when German camper innovator Sunlight puts pens to work on a new concept camper van. —New Atlas, 21 June 2025

Verb

Joan Garcia is the new kid on the block, with his transfer from cross town rivals Espanyol announced on Wednesday ahead of a six-year contract being penned at the Joan Gamper CT approaching the weekend. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Grede penned a thoughtful caption and thanked the Duchess for joining her on the podcast. —Charna Flam, People.com, 19 June 2025