pen in
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
to keep someone or something shut in one small area
Literal meaning: to put into a pen
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
to keep animals or people in an enclosed or limited area
"The farmers penned the sheep in before nightfall."
Grammar: separable
2 B2
idiomatic
neutral
to restrict someone's movement or freedom by surrounding them or limiting space
"Roadworks penned us in, and we couldn't turn the car around."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Used both literally for animals and figuratively for people, crowds, or traffic trapped in a limited space.
Commonly used with
cattle sheep crowd traffic animals protesters
Forms
Base
pen in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
pens in
he/she/it
Past simple
pened in
yesterday
Past participle
pened in
have + pp
-ing form
pening in
continuous
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Synonyms
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