ballpoint pen

noun

ball·​point pen ˈbȯl-ˌpȯint- How to pronounce ballpoint pen (audio)
variants or less commonly ballpoint
ˈbȯl-ˌpȯint How to pronounce ballpoint pen (audio)
: a pen having as the writing point a small rotating metal ball that inks itself by contact with an inner magazine

Examples of ballpoint pen 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.
Swathes of those still standing are marked for death, their fate written like braille in the form of scores of tiny holes — no thicker than a dot left by a ballpoint pen — beneath the bark. — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 The untrained artist began drawing only in her seventies, but her still lifes, often made after dark with humble materials like everyday markers and ballpoint pen, bristle with energy. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2026 Leatherman rounds out the Adapter kit with a slim eyeglass screwdriver and ballpoint pen cartridge that slide into slots on the outside of the handle. — New Atlas, 21 July 2026 Cobain left behind a note written in a red ballpoint pen. — Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ballpoint pen

Word History

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ballpoint pen was in 1953

Rhymes for ballpoint pen

See All Rhymes for ballpoint pen

Browse Nearby Words

ballplayer
ballpoint pen
ball powder
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Cite this Entry

“Ballpoint pen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ballpoint%20pen. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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