Synonyms of pen

pen 1 of 5

noun (1)

as in penitentiary

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody

earned six years in a federal pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• penitentiary
• jail
• prison
• coop
• brig
• jug
• cage
• hock
• jailhouse
• cooler
• big house
• lockup
• stockade
• bridewell
• calaboose
• guardroom
• pokey
• joint
• slammer
• hoosegow
• tank
• bastille
• nick
• clink
• cell
• stir
• slam
• hold
• tolbooth
• quod
• can
• bull pen
• dungeon
• hole
• ward
• guardhouse
• block
• labor camp
• concentration camp
• keep
• prison camp
• work camp
• gulag
• stalag
• glasshouse
• reform school
• oubliette
• hulk(s)
• reformatory
• training school

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• outside

pen

2 of 5

noun (2)

as in cage

an enclosure with an open framework for keeping animals

a goat pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cage
• coop
• corral
• pound
• kennel
• hutch
• fence
• fold
• stockade
• kraal
• aquarium
• cote
• henhouse
• run
• pigpen
• dovecote
• sheepfold
• dovecot
• terrarium
• live-box

pen

3 of 5

noun (3)

as in writer

a person who creates a written work

Alexander Hamilton is reckoned to be the pseudonymous pen behind two thirds of the Federalist Papers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• writer
• author
• novelist
• man of letters
• poet
• storyteller
• woman of letters
• penman
• littérateur
• litterateur
• biographer
• scribe
• scrivener
• screenwriter
• scribbler
• blogger
• columnist
• stylist
• wordsmith
• reporter
• playwright
• ghostwriter
• cowriter
• dramatist
• belletrist
• hack
• journalist
• essayist
• coauthor
• fictionist
• memoirist
• memorialist
• fictioneer
• autobiographer
• scriptwriter
• auteur
• hatchet man
• pamphleteer
• hagiographer
• bard
• belle-lettrist
• fabulist
• satirist
• scenarist
• versifier
• newspaperman
• proser
• romancer
• sportswriter
• wordmonger
• rhymer
• coscenarist
• paragrapher
• prosaist
• prosateur

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nonauthor

pen

4 of 5

verb (1)

ˈpen 

as in to house

to close or shut in by or as if by barriers

remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over

Synonyms & Similar Words

• house
• cage
• enclose
• confine
• inclose
• closet
• box (in)
• encase
• fence (in)
• include
• hem (in)
• wall (in)
• hedge
• surround
• envelop
• corral
• encage
• coop (up)
• bound
• immure
• mew (up)
• ring
• limit
• restrict
• contain
• circumscribe
• armor
• encompass
• frame
• enframe
• encircle
• enfold
• encapsule
• enlace
• encapsulate
• ensheathe
• ensphere
• cocoon
• encyst
• enwomb

pen

5 of 5

verb (2)

as in to write

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• write
• author
• scribble
• compose
• scratch (out)
• record
• print
• craft
• letter
• type
• rewrite
• sign
• draft
• formulate
• word
• revise
• transcribe
• cast
• draw up
• phrase
• prepare
• pencil (in)
• recast
• typewrite
• redraft
• frame
• couch
• take down
• autograph
• register
• put
• express

Examples of pen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The aforementioned laws are hyper-regulatory before a bureaucrat picks up a pen or phone. —Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024

The brand also created pens and lighters for Saint Laurent at the request of creative director Anthony Vaccarello and is the official provider of writing instruments for the Elysée Palace. —Lily Templeton, WWD, 4 Sep. 2024

Pentel ballpoint pens: on sale for $10.94 Original price: $15.60 Grab a box of these long-lasting pens, designed with a latex-free comfort zone grip to keep you writing longer. —Nora Colomer, Fox News, 21 Aug. 2024

Fresh notebooks, new pens, and dorm room decor — signs of another new school year are upon us. —Brittany Vanderbill, Peoplemag, 16 Aug. 2024