Definition of "pen" in English

noun

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

   • There are two steers in the third pen.

2. (slang) A penitentiary, i.e. a state or federal prison for convicted felons.

   • They caught him with a stolen horse, and he wound up in the pen again.

3. (baseball) The bullpen.

   • Two righties are up in the pen.

verb

1. (transitive) To enclose in a pen.

noun

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 A tool, originally made from a feather but now usually a small tubular instrument, containing ink used to write or make marks.

   • He took notes with a pen.
   • Please use a pen, not a pencil, when filling out this form. Use black or blue ink only.

2. (figurative) A writer, or their style.

   • He has a sharp pen.

3. (colloquial) Marks of ink left by a pen.

   • He's unhappy because he got pen on his new shirt.

4. A light pen.

5. (zoology) The internal cartilage skeleton of a squid, shaped like a pen.

6. (now rare, poetic, dialectal) A feather, especially one of the flight feathers of a bird, angel etc.

7. (poetic) A wing.

8. A syringe-like device for injecting a dose of medication such as insulin or epinephrine. (See Injector pen.)

9. Ellipsis of vapor pen (“electronic cigarette”).

   • a dab pen; a wax pen

verb

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

noun

1. A female swan.

noun

1. (soccer, slang) Penalty.

   • England won 3-1 on pens.

noun

1. (computing, informal) Penetration.

noun

1. (humorous) plural of pan