boilerplate

noun boil·er·plate \ -ˌplāt \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of boilerplate

1 : syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form

2 a : standardized text

b : formulaic or hackneyed language

bureaucratic boilerplate

3 : tightly packed icy snow

See boilerplate defined for English-language learners

boilerplate was our Word of the Day on 04/22/2009. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of boilerplate from the Web

There were a lot of boilerplate answers that came out of the annual coaches breakfast, as usual.

— albert breer, SI.com, "Legal Sports Gambling is Coming, and the NFL Is Getting Ready to Capitalize (Of Course It Is)," 29 Mar. 2018
The AGs want to know: Were those terms of service clear and understandable, or buried in boilerplate where few users would even read them?

— natasha bach, Fortune, "State Attorneys General Asked Facebook These 7 Questions About Cambridge Analytica," 27 Mar. 2018
Per Deadline, Schneider’s departure also may be more complicated than those boilerplate statements imply.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Nickelodeon Ends Partnership with iCarly Creator Dan Schneider," 27 Mar. 2018
The letter listed six specific questions for Zuckerberg to answer: •Were those terms of service clear and understandable, or buried in boilerplate where few users would even read them?

— benny evangelista, San Francisco Chronicle, "Facebook faces growing government scrutiny in privacy scandal," 26 Mar. 2018
But CTS-Labs also drew fire over boilerplate copy on its website that implied a potential financial interest in the subjects of its reports.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "AMD confirms Ryzenfall vulnerabilities, but says they'll be fixed soon via routine BIOS updates," 20 Mar. 2018
There is nothing boilerplate about the settlement agreement or its side letter.

— michael smerconish, Philly.com, "Nothing 'boilerplate' about Stormy Daniels' legal documents | Michael Smerconish," 13 Mar. 2018
So, original CC&Rs are normally boilerplate and do not meet any unique needs of the new community.

— kelly g. richardson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "HOA Homefront: Are the association's CC&Rs stale and in need of an update?," 3 Mar. 2018
And smart machines should soon be able to perform some of the easier lawyerly tasks, like crafting a boilerplate will or a simple divorce agreement.

— gabrielle jonas, Newsweek, "Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone? Ask a Robot.," 30 Nov. 2014

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boilerplate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

boilerplate in Print

In the days before computers, small, local newspapers around the U.S. relied heavily on feature stories, editorials, and other printed material supplied by large publishing syndicates. The syndicates delivered that copy on metal plates with the type already in place so the local papers wouldn't have to set it. Printers apparently dubbed those syndicated plates boiler plates because of their resemblance to the plating used in making steam boilers. Soon boilerplate came to refer to the printed material on the plates as well as to the plates themselves. Because boilerplate stories were more often filler than hard news, the word acquired negative connotations and gained another sense widely used today: "hackneyed or unoriginal writing."

First Known Use of boilerplate

1893

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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BOILERPLATE Defined for English Language Learners

boilerplate

noun

Definition of boilerplate for English Language Learners

: phrases or sentences that are a standard way of saying something and are often used

Law Dictionary

boilerplate

noun boil·er·plate \ ˈbȯi-lər-ˌplāt \

legal Definition of boilerplate

: standardized text in documents (as contracts)

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See words that rhyme with boilerplate Britannica English: Translation of boilerplate for Arabic speakers

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boilerplate

Definition of boilerplate

boilerplate was our Word of the Day on 04/22/2009. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of boilerplate from the Web

boilerplate in Print

First Known Use of boilerplate

BOILERPLATE Defined for English Language Learners

boilerplate

Definition of boilerplate for English Language Learners

Law Dictionary

boilerplate

legal Definition of boilerplate

Learn More about boilerplate

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boilerplate

Definition of boilerplate

boilerplate was our Word of the Day on 04/22/2009. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of boilerplate from the Web

boilerplate in Print

First Known Use of boilerplate

BOILERPLATE Defined for English Language Learners

boilerplate

Definition of boilerplate for English Language Learners

Law Dictionary

boilerplate

legal Definition of boilerplate

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