pen pal

noun

: a friend made and kept through correspondence

Examples of pen pal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
At one point, as many as three individuals — including Manson’s grandson, Jason Freeman; Manson’s son, Michael Brunner; and a prison pen pal of Manson’s, Michael Channel — were attempting to take possession of Manson’s body, CNN reported. Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025 She was introduced to the case after a friend who worked at an organization that opposed the death penalty encouraged her to volunteer as a pen pal for an inmate on death row, according to The New Yorker. Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025 Here, musical legends feel like flesh-and-blood figures, especially as Dylan navigates Seeger as the old-guard angel on one shoulder and Bob’s pen pal Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook) as the rebel devil on the other. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024 The story centered on two shop employees, played by Benanti and Levi, who, despite being consistently at odds with each other at work, are unaware that each is the other’s secret pen pal. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for pen pal

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pen pal was in 1925

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Cite this Entry

“Pen pal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pen%20pal. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

pen pal

noun
: a friend made and kept through letter-writing

More from Merriam-Webster on pen pal

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