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
-
pencilling
present participle (especially British)
-
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
-
-
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
-
( 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
-
is pencillingprogressive
-
have been pencilingperfect progressive
-
have been pencillingperfect progressive
-
has been pencilingperfect progressive
-
has been pencillingperfect progressive
Past
-
penciledsimple
-
pencilledsimple
-
had penciledperfect
-
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:
"All the forces are in balance when a pencil is standing on end, so it is a 'solution of the equations,'" he said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
In August, he warned the US signature on commitments is sometimes "written in pencil."
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
The line floats in the top margin of a spiral notebook like a signal flare scrawled in pencil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
The tests alone don't capture everything schools do to support pupils, "whether that's a clean jumper, whether that's having a pen and a pencil" says Hopkins.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Marion dutifully removes a small paper and pencil from her skirt pocket.
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
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
Plus an assortment of quirky items including Pringles cans, Swatch watches, museum neckties and golf-course pencils.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
He’s done the math — $82 a night for a queen bed, single occupancy; $89 for a king — and likes how it pencils out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Fill with your teacher’s favorite markers or more pencils!
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
It was the first increase in three years, and most of Warsh’s colleagues penciled in at least one more rate increase this year in projections released at the meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
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
Right-hander Roki Sasaki is working back from a blister on his middle finger and is penciled in to return from the IL next week against the Padres.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
CAT was penciled on the front in square letters.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Fed officials also pencilled in another rate rise by the end of the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
There are currently two reservoirs pencilled for completion in 2036 and the 2040s, and more set to be approved.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 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
Danske’s Carsten Lonborg Madsen had pencilled in a revenue decline of between zero and minus 8% so the minus 5% to minus 13% range will necessitate a downgrade from him.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 4, 2026
On it was pencilled the words: “Serves you right.”
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
The Fed on Wednesday raised its rates for the first time in three years, as widely expected, with most of officials penciling in one more hike this year via its dot plot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The spike in global energy prices hasn’t deterred Wall Street analysts from penciling in increasingly higher estimates for corporate profits in 2026.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
The Federal Reserve is only penciling in one potential interest-rate cut in 2026, citing uncertainty in the Middle East as a reason to go slow.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
The economic outlook has shifted considerably from earlier this year, with economists penciling in more growth and less inflation than previously expected.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025
All day one Saturday the girls gave each other curly permanent waves and plucked out their eyebrows, penciling a thin arc over each eye.
From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko
While expectations of a swift eurozone rate hike have been tempered somewhat, some are now pencilling one in for the ECB's June meeting.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 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
Anytime you get Rahm in California pencilling in a top 10 is just a given at this point.
From Golf Digest ● Feb. 12, 2020
They seem dreadfully afraid lest any one should peep over their shoulders, and discover the wonderful "odds" they are pencilling down.
From Punch - Volume 25 (Jul-Dec 1853) by Various
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