as in enclosing
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 writing
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 penning
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership inspired Jagger and Richards to begin penning their own songs.
—Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The supporters group, the KC Cauldron, is highly vocal, penning letters in the past pleading for the team to return to its trophy-winning glory of the 2010s.
—Pj Green
april 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
As far as adaptations go, this one seems primed to capture the spirit of the original thanks to who's onboard, with Thelma & Louise screenwriter, Callie Khouri, penning the book, while Case handled the music and lyrics.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026
While speaking to Chronogram in 2007, lyricist Dave Frishberg recalled penning the song.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Kate Gersten, the writer of Gia Coppola’s lauded drama The Last Showgirl starring Pamela Anderson, is penning the script.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
Spiro refined her songwriting while growing up in London, penning her first songs at the age of 10.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Ohman joined the Chronicle as a contributing columnist in 2023, penning original cartoons and commentary for the paper’s Opinion section.
—Sarah Feldberg, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
She is best known for penning the Heated Rivalry book series that has been adapted into the popular Crave and HBO Max romance drama about gay hockey players.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership inspired Jagger and Richards to begin penning their own songs.
—Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
The supporters group, the KC Cauldron, is highly vocal, penning letters in the past pleading for the team to return to its trophy-winning glory of the 2010s.
—Pj Green
april 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
As far as adaptations go, this one seems primed to capture the spirit of the original thanks to who's onboard, with Thelma & Louise screenwriter, Callie Khouri, penning the book, while Case handled the music and lyrics.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026
While speaking to Chronogram in 2007, lyricist Dave Frishberg recalled penning the song.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
Kate Gersten, the writer of Gia Coppola’s lauded drama The Last Showgirl starring Pamela Anderson, is penning the script.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2026
Spiro refined her songwriting while growing up in London, penning her first songs at the age of 10.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 18 Mar. 2026
Ohman joined the Chronicle as a contributing columnist in 2023, penning original cartoons and commentary for the paper’s Opinion section.
—Sarah Feldberg, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penning. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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