1 ADJ A penetrating sound is loud and usually high-pitched. □ Mary heard the penetrating siren of an ambulance.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If someone gives you a penetrating look, it makes you think that they know what you are thinking. □ He gazed at me with a sharp, penetrating look that made my heart pound.
3 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Someone who has a penetrating mind understands and recognizes things quickly and thoroughly. □ …a thoughtful, penetrating mind.
pene|tra|tive /pe n I trət I v, [AM ] -tre I t-/ ADJ [ADJ n] If a man has penetrative sex with someone, he inserts his penis into his partner's vagina or anus.
pe n-friend (pen-friends ) also penfriend N‑COUNT A pen-friend is someone you write friendly letters to and receive letters from, although the two of you may never have met. [BRIT ] in AM, use pen pal
pen|guin /pe ŋgw I n/ (penguins ) N‑COUNT A penguin is a type of large black and white sea bird found mainly in the Antarctic. Penguins cannot fly but use their short wings for swimming.
peni|cil|lin /pe n I s I l I n/ N‑UNCOUNT Penicillin is a drug that kills bacteria and is used to treat infections.
pe|nile /piː na I l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Penile means relating to a penis. [FORMAL ] □ …penile cancer.
pen|in|su|la /pən I nsjʊlə/ (peninsulas ) N‑COUNT [oft in names] A peninsula is a long narrow piece of land which sticks out from a larger piece of land and is almost completely surrounded by water. □ I had walked around the entire peninsula.
pe|nis /piː n I s/ (penises ) N‑COUNT A man's penis is the part of his body that he uses when urinating and when having sex.
peni|tence /pe n I təns/ N‑UNCOUNT Penitence is sincere regret for wrong or evil things that you have done.
peni|tent /pe n I tənt/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is penitent is very sorry for something wrong that they have done, and regrets their actions. [LITERARY ] □ [+ about ] Robert Gates sat before them, almost penitent about the past. □ …penitent criminals. ● peni|tent|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ He sat penitently in his chair by the window.
peni|ten|tial /pe n I te nʃ ə l/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Penitential means expressing deep sorrow and regret at having done something wrong. [FORMAL ] □ …penitential psalms.
peni|ten|tia|ry /pe n I te nʃəri/ (penitentiaries ) N‑COUNT A penitentiary is a prison. [AM , FORMAL ]
pen|knife /pe nna I f/ (penknives ) N‑COUNT A penknife is a small knife with a blade that folds back into the handle.
pe n name (pen names ) also pen-name N‑COUNT A writer's pen name is the name that he or she uses on books and articles instead of his or her real name. □ …Baroness Blixen, also known by her pen-name Isak Dinesen.
pen|nant /pe nənt/ (pennants )
1 N‑COUNT A pennant is a long, narrow, triangular flag. □ The second car was flying the Ghanaian pennant.
2 N‑COUNT In baseball, a pennant is a flag that is given each year to the top team in a league. The championship is also called the pennant . [AM ] □ The Red Sox lost the pennant to Detroit by a single game.
pen|nies /pe niz/ Pennies is the plural of penny . Pennies is mainly used to refer only to coins, rather than to amounts.
pen|ni|less /pe niləs/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] Someone who is penniless has hardly any money at all. □ They'd soon be penniless and homeless if she couldn't find suitable work. □ …a penniless refugee.
penn'orth /pe nəθ/ PHRASE During a discussion about something, if you have your two penn'orth or put in your two penn'orth , you add your own opinion. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ Please do be patient–I'm sure you want to have your two penn'orth. in AM, use two cents' worth
pen|ny ◆◇◇ /pe ni/ (pennies , pence ) The form pence is used for the plural of meaning 1 . 1 N‑COUNT In Britain, a penny is one hundredth of a pound, or a coin worth this amount of money. □ There was nothing over a penny. □ …a shiny newly minted penny.
2 N‑COUNT A penny is a British coin used before 1971 that was worth one twelfth of a shilling.
3 N‑COUNT A penny is one cent, or a coin worth one cent. [AM , INFORMAL ] □ Unleaded gasoline rose more than a penny a gallon.
4 N‑SING If you say, for example, that you do not have a penny , or that something does not cost a penny , you are emphasizing that you do not have any money at all, or that something did not cost you any money at all. [EMPHASIS ] □ The Brilliantons paid their rent on time and did not owe him a penny.
5 PHRASE If you say the penny dropped , you mean that someone suddenly understood or realized something. [mainly BRIT , INFORMAL ]
6 PHRASE Things that are said to be two a penny or ten a penny are not valuable or interesting because they are very common and easy to find. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ Leggy blondes are two a penny in Hollywood. in AM, use a dime a dozen
pe nny-fa rthing (penny-farthings ) also penny farthing N‑COUNT A penny-farthing is an old-fashioned bicycle that had a very large front wheel and a small back wheel. [mainly BRIT ]
pe nny-pinching
1 N‑UNCOUNT Penny-pinching is the practice of trying to spend as little money as possible. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Government penny-pinching is blamed for the decline in food standards.
2 ADJ Penny-pinching people spend as little money as possible. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …small-minded penny-pinching administrators.
pen|ny sha res N‑PLURAL Penny shares are shares that are offered for sale at a low price. [BUSINESS ]