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pencil pusher

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See synonyms for pencil pusher on Thesaurus.com

noun Informal.

a person, as a clerk or bookkeeper, whose work involves a considerable amount of writing, record-keeping, etc.

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Also called pen pusher.

Origin of pencil pusher

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

Words nearby pencil pusher

pencil cedar, pencil crayon, pencil gate, penciliform, penciling, pencil pusher, pencil skirt, pencil stripe, pen computer, pend, Penda

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pencil pusher in a sentence

So, I had a pen and a pencil and started scribbling and drawing, and I felt good about it.
The Renegade: Robert Downey Sr. on His Classic Films, Son’s Battle with Drugs, and Bill Cosby|Marlow Stern|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And then one pencil drawing of my face, and one pencil drawing of the Genie from Aladdin.
How Aidy Bryant Stealthily Became Your Favorite ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then he tagged me in one of his posts, and it was a horrific pencil drawing of my face.
How Aidy Bryant Stealthily Became Your Favorite ‘Saturday Night Live’ Star|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you saw it in front of you, your pencil would drop, your tablet would fall from your lap.
How Mork Melted the Fonz: Henry Winkler Recalls Robin Williams’s Storming ‘Happy Days’ Debut|Tim Teeman|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Collectively, they span almost every technique and medium—from color pencil and markers to oil sticks and watercolor.
O.J., Martha, Jagger, and Manson: Capturing Celebrities in the Dock|Justin Jones|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A little boy aged two years and four months was deprived of a pencil from Thursday to Sunday for scribbling on the wall-paper.
Children's Ways|James Sully
And sure enough when Sunday came, and the pencil was restored to him, he promptly showed nurse his picture.
Children's Ways|James Sully
We are so many around here that you'll have to get paper and pencil and mark us down to keep track of how many.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
He had written his name with pencil upon a leaf which he tore from his pocket-book, and sent it to the Marchioness.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
During my schooldays I spent many happy hours alone with book or pen or pencil.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow