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.
Former Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt was a pen pal of Parsons at one point. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 15 Jan. 2025 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 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 Shortly after joining the Daily News in November 1976, columnist Jimmy Breslin became a marquee name for the paper — and would soon become a larger than life figure after a serial killer terrorizing New York City chose him as a pen pal. For The New York Daily News, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 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

Dictionary Entries Near pen pal

Cite this Entry

“Pen pal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pen%20pal. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

pen pal

noun
: a friend made and kept through letter-writing

More from Merriam-Webster on pen pal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!