Pen Definition: Examples, Phrases, and Fun Activities

We got a few extracts from the original speakers to show “pen” in daily conversation.

When you use several words instead of “pen” in your writing, enriching your vocabulary along the way, meaning can be expressed more clearly through communication.

Related nouns: pencil marker stylus

Synonyms (contextual): ballpoint

Common collocations: ink pen gel pen buy a pen

In order to understand the term “pen” accurately, it is very useful to find it used in other varied regular conversational contexts.

With adjectives: new pen favorite pen cheap pen

With verbs: use a pen pick up a pen lose a pen

With nouns (noun + noun): pen case pen holder pen refill

You can add some personality to your English by picking up on some of these idiom necklaces and funny expressions containing “pen.”

• The pen is mightier than the sword — writing carries more weight than fighting.

  In history class, we learned that the pen is mightier than the sword, because books can change the world.

• Put pen to paper — initiate writing.

  I finally put pen to paper and wrote my first short story.

• Pen pal — a person you correspond with through letters on a regular basis.

  When I was a kid, I had a pen pal in Japan, and we wrote letters every month.

• Dead pen — a pen that has totally run out of ink.

  I tried to write my notes, but my pen was dead, so I had to borrow one.

Try taking the test for a feel for how much you have understood about how to define a “pen.”

How to say “pen” in different languages? It is useful to know as people all around the world use pens.

You already know what “pen” means, so it’s now the time to memorize it even better with some unexpected facts.

• The oldest pens are more than 5,000 years old.

  Reed pens were uncovered by archaeologists in ancient Egypt, which were used for writing on papyrus. Just think of the experience if we had access to those today!

• The world’s largest ballpoint pen collection has almost 300,000 pens.

  This collection, which is owned by Angelika Unverhau of Dinslaken, Germany, comprises pens from 148 countries, while excluding duplicates. The previous record was 285,150 and thus she has really set a new standard for pen lovers around the world!

• The first ballpoint pen got its patent in 1938.

  A Hungarian journalist, László Bíró, innovated it to prevent ink smears and accelerate the process of writing. Currently, the world has millions of users who rely on his invention daily.

• A pen can function underwater and even in outer space.

  The toughest writing tools have been made for astronauts and deep-sea divers, thus proving that writing is an essential activity even under the most extreme conditions.

Rejoice in the thoughts of famous philosophers and writers about the pen and writing.