any of various instruments for writing or drawing with ink or a similar substance.
a detachable metal penpoint, filled by dipping or with a quill; nib.
such a penpoint with its penholder.
the pen as the instrument of writing or authorship.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
a person's style or quality of writing.
He writes with a witty, incisive pen.
a writer.
I leave this story to abler pens.
the profession of writing.
a master of the pen.
a pen-shaped device having a cartridge filled with a drug or medication.
an insulin pen with disposable needles.
Computers. stylus.
Ornithology.
a quill.
a pinfeather.
something resembling or suggesting a feather or quill.
Zoology. an internal, corneous or chitinous, feather-shaped structure in certain cephalopods, as the squid.
to write with or as with a pen; put down in writing.
to pen an essay.
to draw with or as with a pen.
to pen a sketch.
a small enclosure for domestic animals.
animals so enclosed.
We have a pen of twenty sheep.
an enclosure used for confinement or safekeeping.
We have built several pens to hold our harvest of corn.
a dock having a protective concrete structure overhead, used to service and repair submarines.
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
the writing end of such an implement; nib
style of writing
writing as an occupation
the written word
the pen is mightier than the sword
the long horny internal shell of a squid
an enclosure in which domestic animals are kept
sheep pen
any place of confinement
a dock for servicing submarines, esp one having a bombproof roof
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”
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
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; shortened form
First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's so good for you and I really get cross when people go, 'oh I'm not really creative'. If you can put pen to paper, you're creative, you can make things."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Maria met the scammer impersonating Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed, also known by his pen name Fazza, on a dating site before the conversation moved to a messaging app where he bombarded her with romantic messages.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
“I’ve got a pen, and I’ve got a phone,” Mr. Obama said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
But no human would bother to guess in which direction the pen might fall, there's no way to tell.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
Dodger and Elwood ran in circles in their pen, heads and tails up, ears swiveling, eyes darting back and forth.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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 Ilona, Martinovitsné Kutas
And he called for pen- case and paper and wrote down what was graven on the first tablet.
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 06 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir
I'll never forgive myself, ye poor gentle heart, to throw pens and pen- wipers at ye, that did your best, poor boy!
From Sandra Belloni — Volume 5 by Meredith, George
“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 Braybrooke, Richard Griffin, Baron
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
P.E.N. emerged during a moment of postwar optimism regarding the potential of human fellowship to overcome the contingencies of geopolitical power.
From Time ● Apr. 6, 2016
Here, Drinkwater details the logic behind the formation of P.E.N. as a social rather than a political organization.
From Time ● Apr. 6, 2016
Meanwhile, Portuguese intellectuals protested the banning of the books as did the American P.E.N., the noted association of writers.
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 Ward, Maisie
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
The writers' association PEN Berlin said Khatib's comments were protected by freedom of expression and that if Tuttle were to be sacked over them, it would cause "immense damage" to the festival.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
According to PEN America, artists and performers across the country report a growing climate of self-censorship, with many avoiding political humor altogether.
From Salon ● Nov. 6, 2025
In 2024, the translated English compilation of Mushtaq's five short story collections published between 1990 and 2012 - Haseena and Other Stories - won the PEN Translation Prize.
From BBC ● May 20, 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
Benn left promoters Matchroom to sign a one-bout deal with Zuffa Boxing in February and has since penned a multi-fight deal with them.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Jagger penned new lyrics, recorded new vocals, and presto — the band made its last classic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
That musical’s writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, penned the songs for the 2016 film alongside Opetaia Foaʻi and Mark Mancina; dutifully reprised here, they remain basically persuasive works of Disney pop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
But the film’s screenplay — a biting, laugh-a-minute wonder penned by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack — shrewdly plays with genre conventions and audience expectations, illuminating more depth with every other sentence.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
On foot and swiftly he went up toward the stockade where swine were penned in hundreds, and at night the guardian of the swine, the forester, slept under arms on duty for his masters.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
After a steady run of penning, producing and directing various projects, Blaustein made a career pivot in 2012.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
She continued writing while working as a doctor specialising in brain disorders in Boston, Massachusetts, and her publishing career took off when she began penning psychological thrillers.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
He studied and wrote poetry in detention, penning his verses on cigarette boxes when he couldn't access paper.
From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026
She started at the Journal covering the New York City restaurant industry, later penning a metro column for a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
In a few years, I was not only penning columns, I was writing sports books, doing radio shows, and appearing regularly on TV, spouting my opinions on rich football players and hypocritical college sports programs.
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
“There isn’t a lot of pent up inflationary pressure in the economy,” Macklem said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 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
Having been pent up for so long, friendless and homesick, they go wild in the safety of Luna’s generic apartment, which scenic designer Tanya Orellana furnishes with makeshift graduate school touches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 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
I could feel the evilness flowing through my body and waiting, pent up, to rush off my tongue if I tried to open my mouth.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
