pen
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
A penitentiary, i.e. a state or federal prison for convicted felons.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
They caught him with a stolen horse, and he wound up in the pen again.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “pen” mean?
A penitentiary, i.e. a state or federal prison for convicted felons.
Is “pen” formal or informal?
pen is generally slang.