boilerplate

Or boil·er plate

[boi-ler-pleyt]

noun

1. plating of iron or steel for making the shells of boilers, covering the hulls of ships, etc.

2. Journalism.

   1. syndicated or ready-to-print copy, used especially by weekly newspapers.

   2. trite, hackneyed writing.

3. the detailed standard wording of a contract, warranty, etc.

4. Informal.,  phrases or units of text used repeatedly, as in correspondence produced by a word-processing system.

5. frozen, crusty, hard-packed snow, often with icy patches.

boilerplate

/ ˈbɔɪləˌpleɪt /

noun

1. a form of mild-steel plate used in the production of boiler shells

2. a copy made with the intention of making other copies from it

3. a set of instructions incorporated in several places in a computer program or a standard form of words used repeatedly in drafting contracts, guarantees, etc

4. a draft contract that can easily be modified to cover various types of transaction

verb

1. to incorporate standard material automatically in a text

Word History and Origins

Origin of boilerplate¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

The plaintiffs allege agents fabricated and copied and pasted boilerplate language for those reports from the raid at the Home Depot in south Sacramento.

From Los Angeles Times

The same goes for the blessed absence of boilerplate A-list praise.

From Los Angeles Times

Such clubby deference to the establishment combined with boilerplate pandering to progressive constituencies — learned from years of San Francisco and California politics — makes her the perfect solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

From Los Angeles Times

Yum’s CEO, David Gibbs, offered the usual corporate boilerplate: the move would support “sustainable growth” and better serve customers, employees, and shareholders.

From Salon

In its offering, beyond the boilerplate warning that investors should not invest money they could not afford to lose, Finlete cited injuries, illnesses and work stoppages among risks that could derail payments to investors.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accepted 
• basic 
• classic 
• common 
• definitive 
• normal 
• typical 
• usual 

When To Use

What does boilerplate mean?

A boilerplate is text that will be used repeatedly, often word for word, and relied on as standard wording.Boilerplate is commonly used to describe the repeated wording a company or an organization will use in all of its contracts, press releases, or similar documents, as in The buyer foolishly ignored the boilerplate at the end of the legal agreement.It can also be used as a modifier, as in boilerplate language.While boilerplates will be different depending on who’s using them, the idea behind them is to have an easy-to-use standard or pattern (template) that can be easily copied for reuse over and over. Often, someone will make small changes to the boilerplate or fill in blanks left for this purpose rather than use the exact boilerplate.Because boilerplates are designed to be easily reused, the term boilerplate is sometimes mockingly used to label an answer or explanation as a canned response that a person didn’t even think about.Boilerplate was originally used (and still is) to refer to a mass-produced iron or steel plating used for the shells of boilers or other machinery.Boilerplate can also be spelled boiler plate.Example: All of the company’s press releases ended with a boilerplate containing the company motto and a detailed outline of its products and services.