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
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 Screenwriter Zach Helm, whose credits include Stranger Than Fiction and Deep Water, is penning the script. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 25 Aug. 2026 Denis Villeneuve is set to direct an upcoming Bond film for Amazon MGM Studios, with Peaky Blinders mastermind Steven Knight penning the script. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 24 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 Former first-round NBA draft pick Enes Kanter Freedom has made good on his promise to declare for next year's WNBA Draft, officially penning a letter to the league on Monday. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Meyers and Olyphant’s talk-show rapport dates back several years, with Olyphant penning his own introductions on Late Night multiple times. — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penning
  1. enclosing
  2. writing
  3. housing
  4. including
  5. confining
  6. encasing
  7. surrounding
  8. caging
Verb
  • 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
  • Homes can be visually inspected for compliance from the outside, and enclosing the ground level area for living space after the home is constructed and approved for occupancy would draw a reverse work order.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of enclosing
Verb
  • Additionally, writing longer, more detailed descriptions of concerns (over 100 words) significantly increased response rates.
    — Paul Hsieh, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Dunham is adapting the script with Jessica Huang, while Jepsen is writing the music and lyrics with Ethan Gruska.
    — Jessica Barrett, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of writing
Verb
  • But data centers – massive physical facilities housing the computer infrastructure needed by big tech companies for artificial intelligence, the internet and other programs – are now a political flashpoint fueled by a public backlash.
    — Chris Brennan, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Leaders say the new hub was designed to make those services easier to access by housing them in one location.
    — Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of housing
Verb
  • But his record of publicly interacting with Piker — including at a pool party just before the primary — remains a sore point among some Michigan Democrats.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The fair will bring together galleries from 63 cities in 36 countries, including 36 galleries (around 43 percent) with locations in the SWANA region.
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of including
Verb
  • The judge will then determine whether the dogs should be legally designated as dangerous, which could result in strict requirements for confining the dogs or even in dogs being euthanized.
    — Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • For much of our history, few options existed between mass institutionalization in expensive and confining facilities on one end of the spectrum, and fully independent living absent any supports on the other end of the spectrum.
    — Barbara Merrill, Time, 11 Aug. 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 market is attempting to judge how long high capital expenditures and elevated valuations surrounding AI can be sustained.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • So surrounding Antetokounmpo with shooting was the smart strategy, because the data suggests offenses play at well above-average levels when the two-time MVP is paired with elite shooting.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Penning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penning. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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