pen

pen

I

pen¹ S2 /pen/ noun
1. [uncountable and countable] an instrument for writing or drawing with ink ⇨ pencil, biro:
    a ballpoint pen
    a felt-tip pen
    in pen
    Please fill out the form in pen.
    a pen and ink drawing
2. [countable] a small piece of land enclosed by a fence to keep farm animals in:
    a sheep pen ⇨ playpen
3. put/set pen to paper to begin to write
4. [countable] American English informal a short form of penitentiary
5. [countable] British English informal a penalty, used especially when talking about football

II

pen² verb (past tense and past participle penned, present participle penning) [transitive]
literary to write something such as a letter, a book etc, especially using a pen:
    a song penned by George Clinton
     
pen somebody/something ↔ up/in phrasal verb
  1. to shut an animal in a small enclosed area
  2. be penned up/in to be restricted or forced to remain in a small place:
    Norma felt restless and penned in.