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pen

noun · verb

Simple meaning

An enclosure used to contain domesticated animals.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pehn
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɛn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. An enclosure (enclosed area) used to contain domesticated animals, especially sheep or cattle.

  2. A tool, originally made from a feather but now usually a small tubular instrument, containing ink used to write or make marks.

  3. A syringe-like device for injecting a dose of medication such as insulin or epinephrine.

  4. figurative

    A writer, or their style.

  5. A female swan.

  6. A light pen.

verb

  1. transitive

    To write (an article, a book, etc.).

  2. transitive

    To enclose in a pen.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: An enclosure (enclosed area) used to contain domesticated animals, especially sheep or cattle.

Used this way, pen is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use pen

  • “There are two steers in the third pen.”noun
  • “They caught him with a stolen horse, and he wound up in the pen again.”noun
  • “Two righties are up in the pen.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Tool

ballpoint penquill penpen tool

Diminutive

pen name

Other combinations

fountain penput pen

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to write (an article or a book or etc.)

write

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.