pencil
noun
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.
was pencilling
-
past progressiveof pencil.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
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 β Jul. 29, 2026
He also said he was "pencilling in" three further increases next year, as interest rates returned gradually to "a normal level" of about 2.5%.
From BBC β Nov. 9, 2017
"What are you writing there, Cox?" said another, to the keen-eyed man, who was pencilling something on a card.
From Confessions Of Con Cregan An Irish Gil Blas by Charles James Lever
Outside the birds were beginning to twitter and the dawn was pencilling the shutters.
From From Sea to Sea Letters of Travel by Rudyard Kipling
While he read the billet and was pencilling a second appeal for the privilege of escorting her to the rehearsal, she ran lightly downstairs, sprang into a carriage, and eluded him.
From Infelice by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans
