as in enclosing
to close or shut in by or as if by barriers
remember to pen up the dogs when visitors come over
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as in writing
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
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Recent Examples of penning
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Lawrence and Goldstein both drew inspiration from their own lives while penning the script.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Kansas City Star’s Vahe Gregorian was the first to do so, also penning a column.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
As a child, Brittney Boykin had a flair for songwriting, penning melodies in a binder as a hobby.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Zhang is also at work on Skyway, with The Fighter screenwriters Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson penning the script.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
The superstar is also credited alongside Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe, and Harold Faltermeyer as one of the composers on the score and the film’s soundtrack, in addition to penning the tune.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Buffett will keep penning a Thanksgiving message, however.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
Verb
The Prime Video series will span the first two of Irish author Chloe Walsh’s six-book series, with Poppy Cogan (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder) penning the scripts.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Lawrence and Goldstein both drew inspiration from their own lives while penning the script.
—Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 4 Feb. 2026
Kansas City Star’s Vahe Gregorian was the first to do so, also penning a column.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Jan. 2026
As a child, Brittney Boykin had a flair for songwriting, penning melodies in a binder as a hobby.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Zhang is also at work on Skyway, with The Fighter screenwriters Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson penning the script.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 23 Jan. 2026
The superstar is also credited alongside Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe, and Harold Faltermeyer as one of the composers on the score and the film’s soundtrack, in addition to penning the tune.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Buffett will keep penning a Thanksgiving message, however.
—Yun Li, CNBC, 1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penning. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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