as in jails
a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody
earned six years in a federal pen
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in writers
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in houses
to close or shut in by or as if by barriers
remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in writes
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 pens
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The land, which is designated by Eagle as agricultural-residential, hosts the single-family home, a large barn for four adult horses, staging areas for large farming equipment, and holding pens with several dozen cattle.
—Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2026
Keep livestock in secure pens at night, and install electric fencing around chicken coops and enclosures.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
There are not a lot of options for those who prefer charcoal, graphite or pens.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
One false move can lead to trouble, and it hap-pens sooner or later to just about everybody who handles these reptiles.
—Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
Or shop for stationery at Itoya, with three stories of pens, cards, and elegant paper goods.
—Kim Kay, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
For most of the year, the animals roam the island’s northern pastures, hills and cliffs, but in the days before Christmas, they’re rounded up and brought to the shearing pens.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
White seabass hatched in Carlsbad are distributed to 10 coastal holding pens operated by volunteers from San Diego to Ventura, including a large site at Santa Catalina Island.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Justin Kroll, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
Yousafzai pens a portrait of a young woman discovering her identity amid immense pressure.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The series kicks off when Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), a member of a powerful Oklahoma family, pens a suicide note, hides it inside a book on his shelves, and then shoots himself in the head.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
The plot kicks off when the Reverend Mother (a delightful Olivia Colman), who runs the Home for Retired Bears, pens a dire message to Paddington about his beloved Aunt Lucy.
—Troy Aidan Sambajon, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
In the package was a grab bag of small pleasures to ease the difficulty of a lengthy deployment – Kind bars, candy, homemade fudge, Girl Scout cookies, puzzle books, pencils, pens, decks of cards and other games.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The land, which is designated by Eagle as agricultural-residential, hosts the single-family home, a large barn for four adult horses, staging areas for large farming equipment, and holding pens with several dozen cattle.
—Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2026
Keep livestock in secure pens at night, and install electric fencing around chicken coops and enclosures.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026
There are not a lot of options for those who prefer charcoal, graphite or pens.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
One false move can lead to trouble, and it hap-pens sooner or later to just about everybody who handles these reptiles.
—Dr. C. E. Kuschel, Outdoor Life, 9 Apr. 2026
Or shop for stationery at Itoya, with three stories of pens, cards, and elegant paper goods.
—Kim Kay, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2026
For most of the year, the animals roam the island’s northern pastures, hills and cliffs, but in the days before Christmas, they’re rounded up and brought to the shearing pens.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
White seabass hatched in Carlsbad are distributed to 10 coastal holding pens operated by volunteers from San Diego to Ventura, including a large site at Santa Catalina Island.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Amazon moved fast to board the project and the film will now be a big priority at the studio as Loeb pens the script.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026
Yousafzai pens a portrait of a young woman discovering her identity amid immense pressure.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
The series kicks off when Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), a member of a powerful Oklahoma family, pens a suicide note, hides it inside a book on his shelves, and then shoots himself in the head.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025
The plot kicks off when the Reverend Mother (a delightful Olivia Colman), who runs the Home for Retired Bears, pens a dire message to Paddington about his beloved Aunt Lucy.
—Troy Aidan Sambajon, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pens. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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