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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pen

Noun

Or take an ordinary object, such as a pen, and in your story, use it to dig a hole. —David Galef, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025

When Carolina and Juliana get back to the holding pen, the other women can sense the tension between them. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 18 Feb. 2025

Verb

Kim Kardashian, 44, penned an emotional tribute to the late hairstylist on her Instagram Stories. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025

Listen to this article As the Trump administration continues to target transgender and other LGBTQ students, New York City Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos penned a letter Monday assuring families that local protections are still in place. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2025