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
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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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pens
Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Maybe, but with a few hundred passengers hitting the counter at once, those pens disappear fast.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
The table wasn’t just filled with World Series nameplates and various pens.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Ancient book clasps — used to keep manuscript tomes shut — were uncovered at the site, along with styli, the medieval equivalents of pens and pencils.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
There are even pens that can work in the weightlessness of space.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
Sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, fencing was cut and pens and nest boxes were destroyed to release the mink, which are raised for their pelts, Fur Commission USA said.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
While Kendrick and Drake were putting their pens to their limits, Metro fired up some software and got his licks in.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Some models had caps on the ends for smaller things like pens.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
Big Papi was courteous and gentlemanly, unlike Grabby, who snatched at pens, glasses, hair—whatever was in sight.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Maybe, but with a few hundred passengers hitting the counter at once, those pens disappear fast.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
The table wasn’t just filled with World Series nameplates and various pens.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Ancient book clasps — used to keep manuscript tomes shut — were uncovered at the site, along with styli, the medieval equivalents of pens and pencils.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025
There are even pens that can work in the weightlessness of space.
—New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
Sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, fencing was cut and pens and nest boxes were destroyed to release the mink, which are raised for their pelts, Fur Commission USA said.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2025
While Kendrick and Drake were putting their pens to their limits, Metro fired up some software and got his licks in.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2025
Some models had caps on the ends for smaller things like pens.
—Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
Cite this Entry
“Pens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pens. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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