pencil
Americannoun
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pencils
plural
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a slender tube of wood, metal, plastic, etc., containing a core or strip of graphite, a solid coloring material, or the like, used for writing or drawing.
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a stick of cosmetic coloring material for use on the eyebrows, eyelids, etc.
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anything shaped or used like a pencil, as a stick of medicated material.
a styptic pencil.
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a narrow set of lines, light rays, or the like, diverging from or converging to a point.
a pencil of sunlight.
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a slender, pointed piece of a substance used for marking.
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style or skill in drawing or delineation.
He favored the late products of the artist's pencil.
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Mathematics. the collection of lines, planes, or surfaces passing through a given point or set of points and satisfying a given equation or condition.
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Archaic. an artist's paintbrush, especially for fine work.
verb (used with object)
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pencils,
present (3rd person singular)
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penciled,
past participle, past
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pencilled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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penciling,
present participle
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pencilling
present participle (especially British)
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to write, draw, mark, or color with, or as if with, a pencil.
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to use a pencil on.
verb phrase
noun
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a thin cylindrical instrument used for writing, drawing, etc, consisting of a rod of graphite or other marking substance, usually either encased in wood and sharpened or held in a mechanical metal device
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( as modifier )
a pencil drawing
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something similar in shape or function
a styptic pencil
an eyebrow pencil
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a narrow set of lines or rays, such as light rays, diverging from or converging to a point
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archaic an artist's fine paintbrush
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rare an artist's individual style or technique in drawing
verb
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to draw, colour, or write with a pencil
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to mark with a pencil
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to note, arrange, include, etc provisionally or tentatively
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pencilsimple
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pencilssimple
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have penciledperfect
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have pencilledperfect
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has penciledperfect
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has pencilledperfect
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am pencilingprogressive
-
am pencillingprogressive
-
are pencilingprogressive
-
are pencillingprogressive
-
is pencilingprogressive
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is pencillingprogressive
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have been pencilingperfect progressive
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have been pencillingperfect progressive
-
has been pencilingperfect progressive
-
has been pencillingperfect progressive
Past
-
penciledsimple
-
pencilledsimple
-
had penciledperfect
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had pencilledperfect
-
was pencilingprogressive
-
was pencillingprogressive
-
were pencilingprogressive
-
were pencillingprogressive
-
had been pencilingperfect progressive
-
had been pencillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pencil
1350–1400; Middle English pencel < Middle French pincel ≪ Latin pēnicillus painter's brush or pencil, diminutive of pēniculus little tail. See penis, -cule 1
Explanation
If you want to write something you can easily erase, write it with a pencil (instead of with a pen). When you color in the bubbles on a standardized test, a #2 pencil is the way to go. Unlike pens, which use ink, pencils have a pointed cylinder of graphite that makes marks on paper. Most pencils are wood with a thin center of graphite, although mechanical pencils are made of metal or plastic and look more like pens. You might describe an artwork as a pencil drawing, or ask if you can pencil some notes in the margins of your friend's copy of "Moby Dick." When you "pencil something in," you mark it tentatively on your calendar, knowing you might have to erase it later if your plans change.
Vocabulary lists containing pencil
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.
See Examples For:
Ten years ago Alec Palao was casually flicking through a collection of old records when he noticed some faint pencil markings that were enough to draw a gasp.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Then he found a pencil and a sheet of paper and started writing.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
That could make it more challenging for projects to pencil out, at a time in which the U.S. housing market desperately needs more supply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The interesting twist is that Gapen and team not only think the Fed will hike in September, but now pencil in a second quarter-point hike in December.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
“What’s outrageous, sir, is your lack of organization. I’ve made dramatic improvements to your pencil tray.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
“I think everyone is sharpening their pencils and wondering what is the impact of this going to be,” Brill said of the spike in yields since August.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The max charging rate of 150 kW pencils out to a 10%-80% recharge in 28 minutes, under ideal conditions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
“When a court says pencils down, that’s supposed to mean pencils down.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Similarly, many school supplies are produced overseas, like pencils and crayons, which are predominantly imported from Brazil, China, Mexico and India.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
We both shouted that we would, as I grabbed my notebook and two new pencils, ready to write down everything.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
A day earlier, Kashkari said he penciled in one more rate hike in 2026 and another one next year.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
But in commentary shared with MarketWatch, Slok said out that the gap between tech analysts’ rosy cash-flow forecasts and the more modest numbers being penciled in for other sectors was looking suspiciously wide.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
The vast majority of officials penciled in one more hike this year in interest-rate projections released after their meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
The report accepted as read Ellison’s “commitment” that the merged company would produce 30 feature films a year for three years, and penciled out the potential economic gains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
At her request we powdered the down over her lips and throat, penciled definition into her brows, and walked her to the banks of the fish pond where our children played cricket in the afternoon.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Fed officials also pencilled in another rate rise by the end of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
The trial was pencilled in for April this year but was called off again, after the defence asked for more time to prepare.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
But given the slowdown in inflation, analysts at Capital Economics said they had now "pencilled in rate cuts towards the end of the year".
From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026
The Fed currently has one cut pencilled in, and will update this forecast next week.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 6, 2025
At the bottom of the last page he saw pencilled in a faint set of letters and figures.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
In June, the Fed’s “dot plot” forecast of interest rates showed a dramatic shift toward tightening, with nine officials penciling at least one rate hike this year and six penciling in more than one.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Members of the wider policy committee signaled they aren’t afraid to raise interest rates to achieve that goal, penciling in at least one quarter-percentage-point hike by the end of 2026.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Though this list isn’t exhaustive by any means, and not all dates have been announced, there’s plenty to start penciling into your calendar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2026
The inflation outlook remains benign, and inflation expectations are firmly anchored, the BSP said, penciling in 2026 and 2027 inflation forecasts of 3.2% and 3.0%, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
“All right,” says the president, penciling in Annie’s name.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
The lower consumer inflation figure for June gave policymakers enough "room to breathe" for now, but with further price rises expected Swonk was pencilling in two rate hikes for later this year.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Many experts are pencilling in sharper declines ahead, depending on how long the conflict lasts.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026
And while full-year earnings growth estimates for S&P500 companies have sunk to zero, consensus forecasts are now pencilling in a rebound of almost 12% next year.
From Reuters ● Feb. 16, 2023
For next year, I am pencilling in “vaccine” and “post-pandemic”.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 26, 2020
Beneath, the great beauty lies in the delicate pencilling of the hind wing with pearly greys and browns, and contrasted with this, the warm roseate blush and aurora tint on the upper wing.
From British Butterfiles Figures and Descriptions of Every Native Species by W. S. (William Stephen) Coleman
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.
