boilerplate
Americannoun
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plating of iron or steel for making the shells of boilers, covering the hulls of ships, etc.
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Journalism.
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syndicated or ready-to-print copy, used especially by weekly newspapers.
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trite, hackneyed writing.
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the detailed standard wording of a contract, warranty, etc.
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Informal. phrases or units of text used repeatedly, as in correspondence produced by a word-processing system.
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frozen, crusty, hard-packed snow, often with icy patches.
noun
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a form of mild-steel plate used in the production of boiler shells
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a copy made with the intention of making other copies from it
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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
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a draft contract that can easily be modified to cover various types of transaction
verb
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of boilerplate
First recorded in 1855–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Margaret Jane Radin, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School and the author of Boilerplate: The Fine Print, Vanishing Rights, and the Rule of Law, does not agree with that point of view.
From Slate • Nov. 17, 2014
Robots of Oz Meet Boilerplate the 1893 fighting robot and the moustachioed Mechanical Man from 1907.
From The Guardian • Jun. 4, 2010
Boilerplate: standard legal language used in motions, wills, pleadings, closings, etc.
From Time Magazine Archive
Ice, Boilerplate, East Coast Powder, The Shining, The Old Anti-Carve, Edge Catcher, Pipe Day As a rule, if you can see yourself in the surface that you're riding on, it's icy.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
