as in enclosed
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as in housed
to close or shut in by or as if by barriers
remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over
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as in wrote
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
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Recent Examples of penned
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2025
Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
Emily Henry is a 35-year-old romance writer who’s penned six best-selling adult romance novels over the past five years, selling over 10 million copies worldwide and sparking multiple Hollywood deals.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 7 Mar. 2026
The script, penned by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, becomes bizarrely moralistic by the end, insinuating that the debased and debauched might perhaps see their problems solved by becoming domesticated.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2026
The Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City penned a note following the news of McDuffie’s trade.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
The longer tankers are penned into the Gulf, the bigger the problem becomes for the global oil market, according to analysts.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
The studio had reportedly tapped Kari Granlund, who penned the Lady and the Tramp remake, to write the screenplay of the new adaptation.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
MacFarlane, who is promoting Thursday’s launch for the second season of Peacock series Ted, tells The Hollywood Reporter that the writing team behind The Orville has penned 10 episodes for a potential fourth season.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
Neil Sedaka, the veteran pop singer-songwriter who penned some of the most enduring hits of the 1960s and early 1970s, has died.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The Michael Finch penned movie also stars Russell Crowe, Marisa Abela, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Dave Bautista and Max Zhang.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
Yet, McDonald penned hundreds of others songs and released 30-plus albums during a recording career that spanned multiple decades.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2026
Emily Henry is a 35-year-old romance writer who’s penned six best-selling adult romance novels over the past five years, selling over 10 million copies worldwide and sparking multiple Hollywood deals.
—Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 7 Mar. 2026
The script, penned by Bartek Bartosik and Naqqash Khalid, becomes bizarrely moralistic by the end, insinuating that the debased and debauched might perhaps see their problems solved by becoming domesticated.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2026
The Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City penned a note following the news of McDuffie’s trade.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
The longer tankers are penned into the Gulf, the bigger the problem becomes for the global oil market, according to analysts.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
The studio had reportedly tapped Kari Granlund, who penned the Lady and the Tramp remake, to write the screenplay of the new adaptation.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
MacFarlane, who is promoting Thursday’s launch for the second season of Peacock series Ted, tells The Hollywood Reporter that the writing team behind The Orville has penned 10 episodes for a potential fourth season.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 3 Mar. 2026
Neil Sedaka, the veteran pop singer-songwriter who penned some of the most enduring hits of the 1960s and early 1970s, has died.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penned
Adjective
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Brantley Gilbert was up first, followed by fellow country artists Gabby Barrett and Lee Brice, before Kid Rock closed things out in an enclosed setting where a crowd of what looked to be about a hundred fans stood cheering on either side of a huge thrust ramp that extended across the studio floor.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
9 Feb. 2026
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Detectives say the pair burglarized Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters around 2:50 a.m. on May 25 and fished in the Marathon establishment’s enclosed lagoon, catching a 55-inch tarpon.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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What is more, Jackson in the Oval Office would be a caged bird.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
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The 90-minute session also allows visitors to feed caged zookeepers, who are dressed up as pandas, with apple pieces.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Foro Penal, which keeps tabs on imprisoned dissidents and regime opponents, estimates that nearly 400 detainees will not benefit, noting the law covers only a 13-year period of the 27 years of Chavismo.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Feb. 2026
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Habeas petitions are, as a rule, the last option for an imprisoned person to void their convictions.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penned. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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