"put pen to paper" meaning in All languages combined

See put pen to paper on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Forms: puts pen to paper [present, singular, third-person], putting pen to paper [participle, present], put pen to paper [participle, past], put pen to paper [past], set pen to paper [alternative]
Head templates: {{en-verb|put<,,put> pen to paper}} put pen to paper (third-person singular simple present puts pen to paper, present participle putting pen to paper, simple past and past participle put pen to paper)
  1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To write something (especially using pen and ink). Tags: idiomatic, intransitive Related terms: pen and paper
    Sense id: en-put_pen_to_paper-en-verb-PSD8QOWo Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Writing Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 76 24 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 68 32 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 77 23 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 83 17 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 76 24 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 76 24 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 76 24 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 76 24 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 79 21 Disambiguation of Writing: 52 48
  2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To begin to write something. Tags: idiomatic, intransitive Translations (to begin to write): 下筆 /下笔 (xiàbǐ) (Chinese Mandarin), 落筆 /落笔 (luòbǐ) (Chinese Mandarin), tarttua kynään (Finnish), die Feder ansetzen (German), írni kezd (Hungarian), esgrimir el lapicero (Spanish), poner el lapicero a papel (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-put_pen_to_paper-en-verb-xQpZ2A3J Categories (other): Writing Disambiguation of Writing: 52 48 Disambiguation of 'to begin to write': 16 84
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Translations (to write): 下筆 /下笔 (xiàbǐ) (Chinese Mandarin), 落筆 /落笔 (luòbǐ) (Chinese Mandarin), kirjoittaa (Finnish), kirjoittaa kynällä (Finnish), zu Papier bringen (German), tollat ragad (Hungarian), esgrimir el lapicero (Spanish), poner el lapicero a papel (Spanish)
Disambiguation of 'to write': 50 50

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "puts pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "putting pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "set pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "put<,,put> pen to paper"
      },
      "expansion": "put pen to paper (third-person singular simple present puts pen to paper, present participle putting pen to paper, simple past and past participle put pen to paper)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "68 32",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 23",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "76 24",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Writing",
          "orig": "en:Writing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To write something (especially using pen and ink)."
      ],
      "id": "en-put_pen_to_paper-en-verb-PSD8QOWo",
      "links": [
        [
          "write",
          "write"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To write something (especially using pen and ink)."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "pen and paper"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Writing",
          "orig": "en:Writing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              96,
              112
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 June 28, “Network News: Government challenged over inertia on decarbonisation”, in RAIL, number 986, page 19:",
          "text": "\"The Government's response indicates there is still some way to go before they will be ready to put pen to paper on a detailed plan.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To begin to write something."
      ],
      "id": "en-put_pen_to_paper-en-verb-xQpZ2A3J",
      "links": [
        [
          "begin",
          "begin"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To begin to write something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "16 84",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "xiàbǐ",
          "sense": "to begin to write",
          "word": "下筆 /下笔"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 84",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "luòbǐ",
          "sense": "to begin to write",
          "word": "落筆 /落笔"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 84",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to begin to write",
          "word": "tarttua kynään"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 84",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to begin to write",
          "word": "die Feder ansetzen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 84",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to begin to write",
          "word": "írni kezd"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 84",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to begin to write",
          "word": "esgrimir el lapicero"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 84",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to begin to write",
          "word": "poner el lapicero a papel"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "xiàbǐ",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "下筆 /下笔"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "luòbǐ",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "落筆 /落笔"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "kirjoittaa"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "kirjoittaa kynällä"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "zu Papier bringen"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "tollat ragad"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "esgrimir el lapicero"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "50 50",
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "poner el lapicero a papel"
    }
  ],
  "word": "put pen to paper"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "en:Writing"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "puts pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "putting pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "put pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "set pen to paper",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "put<,,put> pen to paper"
      },
      "expansion": "put pen to paper (third-person singular simple present puts pen to paper, present participle putting pen to paper, simple past and past participle put pen to paper)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "pen and paper"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English intransitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To write something (especially using pen and ink)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "write",
          "write"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To write something (especially using pen and ink)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              96,
              112
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2023 June 28, “Network News: Government challenged over inertia on decarbonisation”, in RAIL, number 986, page 19:",
          "text": "\"The Government's response indicates there is still some way to go before they will be ready to put pen to paper on a detailed plan.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To begin to write something."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "begin",
          "begin"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, idiomatic) To begin to write something."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "xiàbǐ",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "下筆 /下笔"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "luòbǐ",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "落筆 /落笔"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "kirjoittaa"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "kirjoittaa kynällä"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "zu Papier bringen"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "tollat ragad"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "esgrimir el lapicero"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to write",
      "word": "poner el lapicero a papel"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "xiàbǐ",
      "sense": "to begin to write",
      "word": "下筆 /下笔"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "luòbǐ",
      "sense": "to begin to write",
      "word": "落筆 /落笔"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to begin to write",
      "word": "tarttua kynään"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to begin to write",
      "word": "die Feder ansetzen"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to begin to write",
      "word": "írni kezd"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to begin to write",
      "word": "esgrimir el lapicero"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to begin to write",
      "word": "poner el lapicero a papel"
    }
  ],
  "word": "put pen to paper"
}

Download raw JSONL data for put pen to paper meaning in All languages combined (3.4kB)

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (5ee713e and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.