lead pencil

American

[led] / lɛd /

noun

a writing or drawing implement made of graphite in a wooden or metal holder.

lead pencil British

/ lɛd /

noun

a pencil in which the writing material is a thin stick of a graphite compound

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of lead pencil

First recorded in 1680–90

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.

Woolf ends up at a stationery shop on the Strand, where she purchases a single lead pencil before heading home.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2022

A lead tablet and lead pencil found at the dig could have belonged to White himself, Dawson said.

From Washington Times • Aug. 22, 2020

One of the most unusual recent discoveries is a small piece of slate that was used as a writing tablet, along with a lead pencil.

From National Geographic • Aug. 7, 2015

Each day he dotted the virtues he failed to fulfill with a black lead pencil.

From Forbes • Apr. 6, 2011

It was the tip of a lead pencil, broken off and wrapped up and presented along with a card that said, “A gross of commas, to be used liberally throughout the year as needed.”

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023