PENS Synonyms: 197 Similar and Opposite Words

pens 1 of 5

noun (1)

plural of pen

as in jails

a place of confinement for persons held in lawful custody earned six years in a federal pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

outsides

pens

2 of 5

noun (2)

plural of pen

as in cages

an enclosure with an open framework for keeping animals a goat pen

Synonyms & Similar Words

pens

3 of 5

noun (3)

plural of pen

as in writers

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonauthors

pens

4 of 5

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of pen

as in houses

to close or shut in by or as if by barriers remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over

Synonyms & Similar Words

pens

5 of 5

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of pen

as in writes

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pens

Noun

Teachers collected paper, sticky notes, pens and pencils, markers, crayons, picture books. — Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 31 Aug. 2026 Inside a hotel conference room downtown, rapper/vocalists Johnny and Taeyong and singers Jaehyun, Haechan and Yuta are dutifully seated at a table with iced coffees, pens and notepads. — Christine Terrisse, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Last week, biologists opened pens and freed two birds early, worried they might be killed. — Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026 Debra Kissen, clinical director of Light On Anxiety in Chicago, told Today that discreet fidgeting is more socially acceptable than clicking pens or spinning gadgets. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The state is no longer collecting sales tax on nonelectronic school supplies, which includes a long list of items like paper, notebooks, binder, pens, pencils and markers, rules and protractors, glue, highlighters, index cards and scissors. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2026 On stocks two boxes of long-acting insulin pens from California’s new prescription drug label, CalRx, emblazoned with the state’s iconic grizzly bear. — Angela Hart — Kff Health News, STAT, 13 Aug. 2026 The Grand and Reserve Champion Rabbit Meat pens, Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Market Turkey and Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Chicken Meat pens had been awarded the previous weekend. — Stephanie Ogilvie, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2026 The dogs were kept on heavy chains or in overcrowded crates and makeshift pens surrounded by waste, prosecutors said. — Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Verb

This week, Gracie Abrams pens a tearjerker on mother-daughter relationships, Steve Lacy escapes the abyss of a breakup on a colossal double track, and Beabadoobee contemplates risk and reward on a fuzzy new single. — Rolling Stone, 17 July 2026 Sarah Rothschild pens the screenplay with Elizabeth Cantillon producing. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026 Amazon moved fast to board the project and the film will now be a big priority at the studio as Loeb pens the script. — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2026 Yousafzai pens a portrait of a young woman discovering her identity amid immense pressure. — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025 The series kicks off when Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), a member of a powerful Oklahoma family, pens a suicide note, hides it inside a book on his shelves, and then shoots himself in the head. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2025 The plot kicks off when the Reverend Mother (a delightful Olivia Colman), who runs the Home for Retired Bears, pens a dire message to Paddington about his beloved Aunt Lucy. — Troy Aidan Sambajon, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pens

Noun

When women tried to march for their rights, they were violently suppressed, and by 2023, nearly all those in Afghan jails were political prisoners, and many were tortured.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 31 Aug. 2026
Filling empty beds The national incarceration rate – which includes both jails, for short-term detention, and prisons, for sentences of more than a year – has more or less crept downward since 2010.

— Ella Siegrist, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of jails

Noun

Democrats aren’t crafting the kind of bold-faced messaging that excites take-writers this year.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Their narrators worry about the corruption of their music scenes by news presenters, magazine writers, major-label scouts, and (for Goetz especially) academics.

— Robert Rubsam, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of writers

Verb

The exhibit, which professes to illustrate storytelling through art in its earliest manifestations, is a jarring introduction to a museum that houses 1,300 original works.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
The corner site near the uber-affluent Sloane Square, in a building that also houses the British royal family’s go-to designer Emilia Wickstead, was selected to reach a concentrated local customer base.

— Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of houses

Verb

In his latest column, Steve Lopez writes about an Altadena family still fighting to get back into their home after the Eaton fire left it uninhabitable.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
But in reality, the agreements may not amount to much, STAT’s John Wilkerson writes — and could even undercut the administration’s own efforts.

— Elaine Chen, STAT, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of writes

Noun

Kept in coops throughout the region, the birds are routinely tested for viruses.

— Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Melissa Knicely, a public information officer with Animal Care and Control, said permitting has increased over the past decade as more residents seek fresh eggs and set up coops at home.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 19 June 2026

Definition of coops

Noun

The authors specifically pointed to gaps in funding for the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

— Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 3 Sep. 2026
Our judges include some of today’s most influential creators and thinkers, including award-winning authors Jason Reynolds & Angie Thomas and writer and speaker Bartunde Thurston.

— USA TODAY Network Staff Reports, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of authors

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pen pals

pens

pension

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Style

“Pens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pens. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pens

noun (1)

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noun (3)

verb (1)

verb (2)

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