pencil

1 of 2

noun

pen·​cil ˈpen(t)-səl How to pronounce pencil (audio)
1
: an artist's brush
2
: an artist's individual skill or style
3
a
: an implement for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance
b
: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications
4
: a set of geometric objects each pair of which has a common property
the lines in a plane through a point comprise a pencil of lines
5
: something (such as a beam of radiation) long and thin like a pencil

pencil

2 of 2

verb

penciled or pencilled; penciling or pencilling ˈpen(t)-s(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce pencil (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil
2
: to plan or designate tentatively
used with in
penciled him in as the nominee

Examples of pencil in a Sentence

Noun Use a pencil instead of a pen so you can erase your mistakes. Verb He penciled some notes on a piece of paper.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The goal is to keep the pencil or pen moving the entire time. Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 And though twenty-somethings with TikTok accounts will likely baulk at the prospect of squeezing themselves into nerve-stemming denim, the horror associated with pencil pants is, in my opinion, undue and over-exaggerated. Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024 Stand on one side of it with the bowl of water, pencil, and paper. Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024 It is all handwritten by John, with pencil, on a piano. Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Rather than filling in a bubble answer sheet with a No. 2 pencil, US test-takers will be using a computer. Katie Lobosco, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 This isn’t her first Thom Browne look of this awards season: for the 2024 SAG Awards, Eilish wore a black bodice and pencil skirt over a white button-down. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 Such an experience is not limited to tennis rackets but includes every tool humans create and master: brooms, rakes, spoons, fishing rods, needles, saws, pencils, paintbrushes, saxophones, computer mice, prosthetics, wheelchairs and far more. Chip Colwell, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 Offerings left beneath trees near the park’s East Drive included a furry owl doll, an owl carved from a block of wood, a pencil portrait of Flaco, letters and flowers. Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
Whether this pencils out to both agencies’ satisfaction is, of course, key to a deal. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 For many 22- to 27-year-olds, known as Generation Z, their average student debt of more than $20,000 and the lure of higher-paying Wall Street and Silicon Valley firms means the time and effort required to become a CPA doesn’t pencil out. Jo Constantz, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024 So pencil the Falcons for 10 wins, one better than Tampa Bay’s NFC South-best total last year. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Mar. 2024 The Cubs also have lefty Justin Steele and right-handers Kyle Hendricks and Jameson Taillon penciled into their rotation. Jay Cohen, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2024 For the show, the musician wore her hair parted in the middle and slicked down and back in a ponytail, all the better to show off those scroll-stopping brows: razor-thin and penciled on with mathematical precision with a high arch and long length, hitting just near the outer corner of her eye. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 4 Dec. 2023 Reexamine distribution methods such as direct-to-consumer that may pencil out during an economic downturn. Nicole Glenn, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Palm Beach County is waiting in the wings, having penciled local commuter rail service into its transportation development plans. David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2024 In Pajaro, state and federal officials had known the levee protecting the town from the Pajaro River was at risk for failure but had not prioritized improvements because Army Corps models determined the cost-benefit ratio did not pencil out. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pencil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pensel, from Anglo-French pincel, from Vulgar Latin *penicellus, alteration of Latin penicillus, diminutive of peniculus brush, from diminutive of penis tail, penis

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pencil was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pencil

Cite this Entry

“Pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencil. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pencil

1 of 2 noun
pen·​cil ˈpen(t)-səl How to pronounce pencil (audio)
1
: an instrument for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance
2
: something like a pencil in form or use
an eyebrow pencil

pencil

2 of 2 verb
penciled or pencilled; penciling or pencilling
ˈpen(t)-s(ə-)liŋ
: to mark, draw, or write with or as if with a pencil
Etymology

Noun

Middle English pensel "an artist's brush, pencil," from early French pincel (same meaning), derived from Latin penicillus, literally, "little tail" — related to penicillin see Word History at 3pen

Medical Definition

pencil

noun
pen·​cil ˈpen(t)-səl How to pronounce pencil (audio)
1
: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications
a menthol pencil
2
: an aggregate of rays of radiation (as light) especially when diverging from or converging to a point
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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