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
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 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
Many other local ghostwriters are also apparently penning erotica for a fee.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Offscreen, the actor has proven to be a man of many talents, penning a series of comedic books with tongue-in-cheek titles like A Goomba's Guide to Life.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Sybil lives alone and spends her days fountain-penning personal letters and occasional emails that tell the story of her loves, losses, sorrows and deep regrets, through her alternately curmudgeonly and generous-hearted persona.
—Patricia Steckler, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2026
After penning an ode to Minneapolis and making a surprise three-song appearance at First Avenue last month, Bruce Springsteen will kick off a new tour across the street from the venerable Minneapolis nightclub at Target Center.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
New Line has taken stabs at developing a sequel with Heisserer and Chris Borrelli penning scripts over the years.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 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
Many other local ghostwriters are also apparently penning erotica for a fee.
—Literary Hub, 4 Mar. 2026
Offscreen, the actor has proven to be a man of many talents, penning a series of comedic books with tongue-in-cheek titles like A Goomba's Guide to Life.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Sybil lives alone and spends her days fountain-penning personal letters and occasional emails that tell the story of her loves, losses, sorrows and deep regrets, through her alternately curmudgeonly and generous-hearted persona.
—Patricia Steckler, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2026
After penning an ode to Minneapolis and making a surprise three-song appearance at First Avenue last month, Bruce Springsteen will kick off a new tour across the street from the venerable Minneapolis nightclub at Target Center.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penning. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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