penning 1 of 2

verb (1)

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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penning

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of pen
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

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 penning
Verb
Trachtenberg and Rayna McClendon came up with the new story, with Alex Anfanger and Dan Schimpf penning the script. — Justin Kroll, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026 Matt Aldrich is penning the script, with DC Studios’ James Gunn and Peter Safran producing with The Batman director Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 In September 1981, Leckey started penning his own column for the Sun-Times on investing and personal finance while continuing to report on economics, banking and accounting. — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 The couple, who tied the knot in the season 1 finale, are also set to start penning the first pages of their very own love story this season. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2026 Jeff Pope is penning a drama about the investigation into Everard’s 2021 murder for the BBC. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026 An American treasure In a career that spanned over half a century, Parton captured the American experience, penning more than 3,000 songs. — CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026 Miley Cyrus joined the chorus of celebrities mourning the loss of Dolly Parton, penning a heartfelt tribute to the transcendent country music star-humanitarian who was also her godmother. — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Marsh was an early champion of Springsteen, writing about him for Creem magazine and penning his first Rolling Stone cover story in 1978. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penning
  1. enclosing
  2. writing
  3. housing
  4. including
  5. confining
  6. encasing
  7. surrounding
  8. caging
Verb
  • Nearby is The Birth, 2026, a ziggurat partly woven from bags of fertilizer, enclosing a film installation about the assembly of drones, shot in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Like the work of other Palestinian artists of his generation, Mansour’s paintings helped carry the dreams and testimony of his people beyond the walls enclosing Gaza and the West Bank.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of enclosing
Verb
  • Earlier this year, César Alvarez spent far too much of their play The Potluck having their onstage avatar wiggle around on the hook of writing The Potluck.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • GPTZero’s authenticity suite, including AI and hallucination detection, plagiarism checking, and writing replay, has been added to Superhuman’s platform.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of writing
Verb
  • During a press event on the Paramount lot Tuesday, hours after the merger had closed, Skydance CEO David Ellison revealed that the two lots, each historically and currently housing both film and TV, would be organized differently.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Amid speculation that Drexel plans to sell the 150-year-old building housing the Academy, Philadelphia's city council proposed altering local zoning overlays in order to make selling the building or converting it to other uses more difficult.
    — Andrew Stelzer, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of housing
Verb
  • Related Stories To uncover the truth, Emma has no choice but to return to the Breton island of Kerlann, where tragedy struck and where everyone rejects her — including her son, who sees her as his father’s murderer.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The spa is set to open in mid-December and promises to have a range of treatments including massages, facials, and hot/cold therapy.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of including
Verb
  • If youth teams practiced like the pros, confining full contact to once a week, impacts could fall by more than half, Daneshvar says.
    — Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026
  • In December 2025, non-profit Amnesty International wrote in a report that confining men in small cages exposed to the elements could constitute torture under international law.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of confining
Verb
  • Little Miner’s version isn’t so much a riff as an homage, with a flour tortilla encasing queso sauce, tortilla chips, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato, raw onion, sour cream and a choice of proteins.
    — Warren Rojas, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The spigots serve as injection ports, where crews can pump grout behind the tunnel wall, with the goal of coating and encasing the entire tunnel lining under the Newtown Creek in a waterproof layer, filling any cracks along the way.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 19 July 2026
Definition of encasing
Verb
  • The surrounding area has also become increasingly popular among billionaires, and in nearby Palm Beach, security has become part of the draw.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The film follows a protagonist returning to his hometown for the first time in 28 years, drawn back by the mystery surrounding a young artistic prodigy.
    — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of surrounding
Verb
  • None of the people involved in caging the fawn were identified, according to the release.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026
  • The type of tomato plant and whether it is supported with staking or caging factors into spacing.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of caging

Browse Nearby Words

penniless
penning
pennon
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Cite this Entry

“Penning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penning. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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