penning 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of pen
as in enclosing
to close or shut in by or as if by barriers remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

penning

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of pen
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

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 penning
Verb
Former first-round NBA draft pick Enes Kanter Freedom has made good on his promise to declare for next year's WNBA Draft, officially penning a letter to the league on Monday. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Anthony also was a novelist, penning the books Keeping Secrets, Telling Lies, Deadly Stuff Players, One Last Deadly Play and Last Call for a Deadly Diva. — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026 Meyers and Olyphant’s talk-show rapport dates back several years, with Olyphant penning his own introductions on Late Night multiple times. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026 In the beginning, there was Molière (1622—1673), a popular French playwright known for penning comedies like Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and Les Fourberies de Scapin, and often acting in them. — Lonnie Burstein Hewitt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 July 2026 In addition to writing and acting on the series, Oddie wrote all the music including co-penning the show’s theme song. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 27 July 2026 Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is penning the screenplay. — Zack Sharf For Variety, Robb Report, 30 June 2026 In a series of posts, Hargitay gave Brunson his flowers, resharing several videos of performance in the game and penning a brief post, paying tribute to his talents. — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 14 June 2026 The Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, penning songs that have inspired and uplifted countless listeners, while supporting organizations like GLAAD. — Tim Chan, Footwear News, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penning
  1. enclosing
  2. writing
  3. housing
  4. including
  5. confining
  6. encasing
  7. surrounding
  8. caging
Verb
  • Homes can be visually inspected for compliance from the outside, and enclosing the ground level area for living space after the home is constructed and approved for occupancy would draw a reverse work order.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Soon after, more people gathered, standing behind the sad but necessary fence enclosing the resilient tree, out of respect, curiosity or simple gawking.
    — David Dickstein, Oc Register, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of enclosing
Verb
  • Ina Fassbender | Afp | Getty Images Hello, this is Anniek Bao writing to you from Singapore.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026
  • While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of writing
Verb
  • Plaintiffs' attorney Alexander Shalom argued that housing the plaintiffs in a segregated unit violates their constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
  • Elevator access is available in the main buildings housing the lobby and restaurants.
    — Ronee Uyeshiro, Travel + Leisure, 26 July 2026
Definition of housing
Verb
  • This week, Cuba commemorated Castro with events including the International Book Fair, art exhibitions, concerts and gatherings of delegates from leftist organizations across the continent.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Plenty have YouTube channels showcasing their elite careers, including Hunt and men’s 100m silver-medallist Jeremiah Azu.
    — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of including
Verb
  • Despite the unknowns confining the Delgado family to their house, Robinson says The Last House is at its heart an optimistic movie.
    — Barry Levitt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Color, line, and texture all play important roles in making a small garden feel expansive and inviting or confining and cramped.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of confining
Verb
  • The spigots serve as injection ports, where crews can pump grout behind the tunnel wall, with the goal of coating and encasing the entire tunnel lining under the Newtown Creek in a waterproof layer, filling any cracks along the way.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
  • The denim du jour is all about giving your legs some room to breathe instead of encasing them in snug fabric.
    — Tanya Sharma, InStyle, 10 July 2026
Definition of encasing
Verb
  • Excitement surrounding the new season is slowly growing among the West Ham United fanbase, but there are lingering issues that remain hard to ignore.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Israeli warplanes also targeted a teacher’s training college and a religious building in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, around 10 miles east of Ansar, with further strikes reported in the surrounding area.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of surrounding
Verb
  • None of the people involved in caging the fawn were identified, according to the release.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
  • The type of tomato plant and whether it is supported with staking or caging factors into spacing.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of caging

Browse Nearby Words

penniless
penning
pennon
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Penning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penning. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on penning

Nglish: Translation of penning for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All