boilerplate

noun

boil·​er·​plate ˈbȯi-lər-ˌplāt How to pronounce boilerplate (audio)
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

Did you know?

Boilerplate in Print

In the days before computers, small 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 often more filler—material used to fill extra space in a column or page of a newspaper to increase its size—than important or informative news, the word acquired negative connotations and gained the "standardized or formulaic language" sense widely used today.

Examples of boilerplate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These boilerplate responses didn't always show up on every message, either. Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 8 Oct. 2025 Hegseth’s speech had a lot of boilerplate of the sort that would show up in any speech. Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2025 The Department of Justice’s own news release contained the usual boilerplate about an indictment being merely an allegation and the presumption of innocence that all defendants enjoy—legal niceties that struck a particularly disingenuous note in light of Trump’s triumphalism. Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025 Engineers can offload repetitive boilerplate and documentation tasks, freeing them to focus on architecture and system reliability. Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for boilerplate

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of boilerplate was in 1893

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Boilerplate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boilerplate. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Legal Definition

boilerplate

noun
boil·​er·​plate ˈbȯi-lər-ˌplāt How to pronounce boilerplate (audio)
: standardized text in documents (as contracts)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!