pent
verb
a simple past tense and past participle of pen.
pent
1 American
[pent]
/ pɛnt /
verb
adjective
pent
2
American
[pent]
/ pɛnt /
noun
Pent.
3
American
abbreviation
pent
British
/ pɛnt /
verb
Etymology
Origin of pent1
First recorded in 1535–45; late Middle English pente, pent, past participle of obsolete pend, variant of pennen “to enclose, confine”; cf. pen 2
Origin of pent2
By shortening
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
And when Anisimova’s final return of serve flew wide, Sabalenka released all of the pent up tension by sinking to her knees and weeping onto the court.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 6, 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.
