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• pen
  pen

  noun

  any of various instruments for writing or drawing with ink or a similar substance.
• pen-
  pen-

  variant of pene- before a vowel.
• Pen.
  Pen.

  abbreviation

  peninsula.
• P.E.N.
  P.E.N.

  abbreviation

  International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists.
• PEN
  PEN

  acronym

  International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists

pen

¹ American  

[pen] / pɛn /

noun

1. 

   any of various instruments for writing or drawing with ink or a similar substance.

2. a detachable metal penpoint, filled by dipping or with a quill; nib.

3. such a penpoint with its penholder.

4. fountain pen.

5. ballpoint pen.

6. the pen as the instrument of writing or authorship.

   The pen is mightier than the sword.

7. a person's style or quality of writing.

   He writes with a witty, incisive pen.

8. a writer.

   I leave this story to abler pens.

9. the profession of writing.

   a master of the pen.

10. a pen-shaped device having a cartridge filled with a drug or medication.

    an insulin pen with disposable needles.

11. Computers. stylus.

12. Ornithology.

    1. a quill.

    2. a pinfeather.

13. something resembling or suggesting a feather or quill.

14. Zoology. an internal, corneous or chitinous, feather-shaped structure in certain cephalopods, as the squid.

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verb (used with object)

penned, penning

1. to write with or as with a pen; put down in writing.

   to pen an essay.

2. to draw with or as with a pen.

   to pen a sketch.

pen ² American  

[pen] / pɛn /

noun

1. a small enclosure for domestic animals.

2. animals so enclosed.

   We have a pen of twenty sheep.

3. an enclosure used for confinement or safekeeping.

   We have built several pens to hold our harvest of corn.

4. playpen.

5. bull pen.

6. a dock having a protective concrete structure overhead, used to service and repair submarines.

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verb (used with object)

penned, pent, penning

1. to confine in or as in a pen.

pen ³ American  

[pen] / pɛn /

noun

Slang.

1. penitentiary.

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pen ⁴ American  

[pen] / pɛn /

noun

1. a female swan.

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pen- ⁵ American  

1. variant of pene- before a vowel.

   penannular.

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Pen. ⁶ American  

Or pen.

abbreviation

1. peninsula.

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P.E.N. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists.

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pen ¹ British  

/ pɛn /

noun

1. an implement for writing or drawing using ink, formerly consisting of a sharpened and split quill, and now of a metal nib attached to a holder See also ballpoint fountain pen

2. the writing end of such an implement; nib

3. style of writing

4. 1. writing as an occupation

   2. the written word

      the pen is mightier than the sword

5. the long horny internal shell of a squid

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verb

1. (tr) to write or compose

pen ² British  

/ pɛn /

noun

1. an enclosure in which domestic animals are kept

   sheep pen

2. any place of confinement

3. a dock for servicing submarines, esp one having a bombproof roof

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verb

1. (tr) to enclose or keep in a pen

PEN ³ British  

/ pɛn /

acronym

1. International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, and Novelists

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Pen. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Peninsula

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pen ⁵ British  

/ pɛn /

noun

1. informal short for penitentiary

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pen ⁶ British  

/ pɛn /

noun

1. a female swan

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pen Idioms  

1. see slip of the lip (pen).

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Other Word Forms

• penner
  noun
• penlike
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of pen¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English penn(e), from Old French penne “pen, feather,” from Late Latin penna “pen,” from Latin penna, pinna “feather, wing”

Origin of pen²

First recorded before 1000; (noun) Middle English penne, Old English penn (in compounds); perhaps akin to pin; (verb) Middle English pennen, derivative of the noun

Origin of pen³

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; shortened form

Origin of pen⁴

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

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Explanation

A pen is an ink-filled tool that you use for writing or drawing. Doing a crossword puzzle with a pen shows a lot of self confidence, since you can't erase your answers. Pen is also a verb meaning "to write," especially when you're writing something of literary value: "She's my favorite writer — I can't wait for her to pen another novel!" Then there's the pen that you keep your pet donkey safely inside (you can also say you pen him in there), and inspired by this "livestock enclosure" meaning there's also the slang for "penitentiary" or "jail."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pen pen- Pen. P.E.N. PEN penned penning pent

Asked Monday if Trump might sign a future deal in pen, Carney said: "I don't know that."

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

By the Belgian Grand Prix, he was so frustrated by a qualifying session that he burst into tears in the media pen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

On busy nights, I’d estimate the wait, scribble down a last name, party size and pager number in black pen, then hand over a pleasantly hefty plastic puck.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

Hamilton did not speak to the media after the race after saying he felt unwell and being given permission to miss the interview zone, known as the media pen.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Quickly he grabbed a pen and began inking over the words.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

It is no longer only the artist that is put under contract but his pen- children, who are copyrighted by the middleman.

From Time Magazine Archive

Cross pen- and-pencil sets, records listened to twice and then abandoned, clothes that were too large, too small—that never seemed worth transporting to the increasingly cramped apartments he inhabited over the years.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

He has a rather large pen- and language friend circle and through his efforts I received additional translations in 4 more artificial languages.

From Baron Pál Podmaniczky and the Norwegian Bible by Martinovitsné Kutas Ilona

This is the pen- and-ink sketch drawn from memory by Hogarth, long after Fielding's death, to serve as a frontispiece for Murphy's edition of his works.

From Fielding by Austin Dobson

Pity pen- or pencil-nibblers Labelled as 'distinguished scribblers'!

From The Motley Muse (Rhymes for the Times) by Harry Graham

“For now we’re with Marine Le Pen. The party functions well. But then, if somebody else comes along, that’s possible,” said Julie Apricena, 26, who works for the Front.

From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2018

It is thought the House do cool: Sir W. Coventry's being for him provoked Sir R. Howard, and his party: Court all for W. Pen. 17th.

From The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Richard Griffin, Baron Braybrooke

At its founding, P.E.N. identified as an informal “dinner-club” where, according to an early statement on membership criteria, “well-known writers of both sexes can meet,” and where “visitors from abroad can hope to find them.”

From Time ● Apr. 6, 2016

But during the early years of the organization, political activism in the name of P.E.N. was actively discouraged by early leaders.

From Time ● Apr. 6, 2016

Given this emphasis on the social, it follows that the earliest materials in the P.E.N. archive strongly feature food, drink, and dance.

From Time ● Apr. 6, 2016

If news of Derek Monsey's novel reaches the right ears, he will surely be barred for life from the Book-of-the-Month and P.E.N. clubs.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Kulturbund in Vienna sends an emissary inviting him there also and, like Prague, the Vienna P.E.N.

From Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Maisie Ward

The article mentions antisemitism as one possible cause and quotes others who identify it directly, but PEN itself never adopts antisemitism as the central explanation for the pattern its reporting reveals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

In 2007, responding to a proposed British boycott of Israel, PEN declared that it “emphatically opposes any efforts to inhibit the free international exchange of literature, art, information, or knowledge.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

In a 2008 speech at the PEN Literary Gala, the late Nobel Prize-winning Black novelist Toni Morrison anticipated this new-old order in Donald Trump’s America.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

In a joint statement on Monday, some 20 NGOs including Amnesty International and writers' rights group PEN America said the allegations against Tadjadit were "baseless" and called for his release.

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2025

They held up their right hands and read the oath Nick had written out: From this day on and forever, I will never use the word PEN again.

From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements

Under pressure from Commonwealth countries over Britain's pivotal part in transatlantic slavery, Burnham penned a newspaper op-ed published earlier Saturday that argued: "We need to face up to the past."

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

Larry Fink, the chairman and CEO of BlackRock, penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal this month arguing that America is in a high-stakes competition for capital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Pochin and Braverman were among the MPs to respond to an open letter penned by a group of Piddington's female residents, addressed to all women MPs.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Dürrenmatt penned “The Visit” as a critique of Switzerland’s neutrality after World War II, which he saw as an abandonment of ethics driven by capitalism.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

While in prison, Robert Chambliss penned a handwritten letter on Kilby Correctional Facility’s inmate stationery to the pastor of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

Here she comes again, penning a song for the 2005 movie “Transamerica” that would go on to receive an Academy Award nomination.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

Wilson -- behind an acclaimed translation which Nolan has praised -- generated headlines this week after penning a scathing critique of his screenplay.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Although Samuel came to the studio with the structure for his songs already in place, they worked on melodies and writing in Spanish together, since this was his first time penning lyrics in the language.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

That means writers penning all their own work—and people who acknowledge using chatbots for help—are trying to master something they never worried about before: how to sound human.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

That he did all this while also penning some of the greatest novels ever written simply goes to show that “Those who do, do much. Those who talk, talk much.”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Demand was so pent up that it crashed the website of distributor Vinegar Syndrome more than once.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Australian migration agent Mark Welch said there was a pent up demand following Brexit, which was combined with those who weren't able to go because of Covid-19.

From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2025

The result is a pent up demand that lures workers to come illegally.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2025

“Post-COVID, we got this big influx of revenge travel, where everyone’s so pent up indoors and they’re just like, ‘Get me out there,’ ” McElroy explains.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2024

But this time his feelings were all pent in his heart: I was not worthy to hear them uttered.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

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Related Words

• fountain pen
• marker
• stick

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