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Glite Dictionary
to pen up

to pen up

2 6.0
Keep animals or people in a small area
  • phrasal verb
  • /pɛn ʌp/
translation icon : encerrar
  • After a long day of roaming the fields, the farmer decided to pen up the sheep in a safe enclosure for the night.
  • dogs penned up
  • keep him penned up

Examples

  • They had a bunch of Mescalero Apaches penned up there with us.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • I got 500 head of prime cattle penned up at the corral.

    Chisum (1970)

  • Yeah, we let 'em out at night then we pen 'em up there during the day.

    Two-Minute Warning (1976)

  • He'll pen her up and bid her stay.

    Lassie Come Home (1943)

  • What's he got them all penned up out here for?

    King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

  • Oh, now at Christmas we have chocolate pie, and the dogs are penned up outside!

    Blog text (31)

  • I'm sure sick of being penned up in this dump.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • But he's got the dogs penned up.

    F/X2 (1991)

  • He's penned up on a piece of desert the government calls a reservation.

    Chisum (1970)

  • At home, they put on their canvas coveralls and went out in the dark, carrying a lantern to the calf shed where they'd penned up a heifer they'd noticed was showing signs of spring.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

to coop
vsto pen up
  • Informal
46 6.1

To keep someone or something in a small space so they cannot move freely

is the general act of confining someone in a small enclosure
to cage
vsto pen up
40 1.0

To put a person or animal into a space with bars that keeps them from escaping

is the general confinement in a small space not limited to bars
to fold
vsto pen up
8 8.2

Bring animals into a pen to keep them safe

is the general act of confining in a small space without livestock focus
to stall
vsto pen up
5 4.8

To put an animal into a small separate space in a stable

is the general confining act not limited to stable housing
to cage in
vsto pen up
2 5.4

To put someone or something into a small space with bars to stop them moving freely

is the more general act of confining within a small enclosure
to kennel
vsto pen up
1 5.6

To put a dog in a place that looks after it while you are away

is the general act of confining animals or people in small spaces
to coop up
vsto pen up
  • Informal
1 6.4

To keep a person or animal inside a small space like a cage

is the broader action of confining in a small enclosure
to encage
vsto pen up
7.1

To put an animal or person in a cage

refers to confining in a small enclosure without specifying bars
to hutch
vsto pen up
7.9

To put small animals into a cage to keep them safe

is the broader action of confining in any small enclosure
to mew
vsto pen up
  • Archaic
9.9

To shut someone in a small room and not let them leave

is the common modern phrase for confining in a small enclosure

Antonyms

to release
∞ 1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

to liberate
104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

How Confined

to imprison
  • Formal
178 4.2
to cage
40 1.0
to pen up
2 6.0
to corral
12 5.2

Surface Forms

pen up infinitive
penned up past
penned up past participle
penning up present participle
pens up third person singular

Morphology

pen + up

The meaning 'to confine in an enclosure' is directly derivable from 'pen' (an enclosure) combined with the particle 'up' which often signals containment or completion; together they form a literal verb meaning 'to put into a pen/contain'. This is a straightforward, compositional use consistent with English verb+particle patterns and cross-linguistically comparable, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily understand it.

Etymology

The phrasal verb pen up comes from the clear image of putting animals into a small fenced area called a pen and closing the gate so they are shut up inside. So, pen up now means 'to confine' or keep someone or something in a small space.