pencil

1 of 2

noun

pen·cil ˈpen(t)-səl

Synonyms of pencil next

: an artist's brush

: an artist's individual skill or style

: an implement for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance

: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications

: 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

: 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

transitive verb

: to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil

: to plan or designate tentatively

—used with in

penciled him in as the nominee

Example Sentences

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

Look for medium-size asparagus, ones that are about the size of a pencil, and make sure to trim off the tough, woody parts at the base of the spears. —

Christopher Kimball, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Apr. 2023 Things that might have sounded insignificant, like a pencil, or a thermos, but Karoline knew there were no insignificant requests. —

Jay Kirk, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023 The cataclysmic union is far too complex to solve with paper and pencil, which is why computers must be enlisted. —

Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 20 Apr. 2023 Covert and co-editor Erik Auli’s synthesis of this material sometimes seems haphazardly off-point though, while numerous shots of McFetridge at work in his studio, often sketching with a yellow #2 pencil, don’t gain much by frequent repetition. —

Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2023 Jennifer Evans teaches high school photography, creates art with colored pencil, ink, pastels and water colors, and also offers adult classes in water color and other art media. —

Sheryl Devore, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2023 The Drug Enforcement Administration warns just 2 mg of fentanyl, an incredibly small amount that could fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. —

Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 16 Mar. 2023 Sir Ernest stood by under the canvas with chronometer, pencil, and book. —

Daniella Mccahey, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2023 To further accentuate her eyes, Newton opts for a brightening waterline pencil, brown eyeliner, a touch of shimmering white eyeshadow, and lengthening mascara. —

Kiana Murden, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2023

Verb

Phoenix says all housing is banned in areas with loud plane noise, but Tempe believes that apartments are all right if they are soundproofed ― and the team needs Tempe's interpretation to be correct in order for the deal to pencil out financially, according to Coyotes officials. —

Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2023 Rising rents for industrial space could help the projects pencil out for developers facing increasing costs, Mr. Meyer said. —

Liz Young, WSJ, 30 Mar. 2023 But some developers have said incentives are necessary to pursue efforts that may not pencil out economically, such as converting office spaces into housing. —

Catherine Carlock, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2023 My colleague Susanne Rust reports that federal officials knew for decades the levee was likely to fail — but never paid to fix it because protecting the low-income community didn’t pencil out in a cost-benefit analysis. —

Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2023 But, with Glenview Place, the project plans didn't pencil out, Gorens-Levey said. —

Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2022 Travelers driving the Great Ocean Road should pencil in a stop at Wildlife Wonders. —

Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2022 More surveillance and harsher penalties don’t pencil out statistically, said Nocella. —

Alixel Cabrera, The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023 Mortgage rates have just about doubled since the start of the year, sapping demand and prompting some economists to pencil in year-over-year national price declines in 2023. —

Ben Eisen, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2022 See More

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

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencil. Accessed 5 May. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

pencil

1 of 2 noun

pen·cil ˈpen(t)-səl

: an instrument for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance

: 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