pen pal

American  

noun

• pen pals
  plural

1. a person with whom one keeps up an exchange of letters, usually someone so far away that a personal meeting is unlikely.

   My niece in Texas has a pen pal in France.

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pen pal British  

noun

1. Also called: pen friend.  a person with whom one regularly exchanges letters, often a person in another country whom one has not met

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pen pals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pen pal

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pen pal

Maggie recalled sending off for pen pal lists while in school.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2023

Sigrid shared similar experiences, offering that “your pen pal will change your perspective on life, and you will gain as much as they do from the correspondence.”

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2023

He said a German pen pal who befriended him in prison helped in his rehabilitation.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2023

He met Rhianan's mother via a pen pal system for prisoners.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2023

Because having my mysterious pen pal felt like having a little bit of Gram back.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• letter writer