pencil in
phrasal verb
penciled in or pencilled in; penciling in or pencilling in; pencils in
: to put (someone or something that may be changed later) on a schedule, list, etc.
Would you like me to pencil you in for Thursday morning at 11?
—sometimes used figurativelyHe was penciled in as the director's replacement.
Examples of pencil in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At its most recent meeting, the central bank penciled in two rate cuts by year-end, although some economists predict just one.
—
Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 3 July 2025
Weekly jobless claims data is also due Thursday, with economists penciling in 240,000.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 2 July 2025
There was a photograph of Leonard: white shirt, dark tie, cigarette in one hand, pencil in the other, and, on the wall behind him, a steer’s horned skull and an array of guns.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Since the gig is brief and can be catered to suit different time commitments, any work schedule can pencil in time for kitten fostering.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pencil in
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Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 3 July 2025
Weekly jobless claims data is also due Thursday, with economists penciling in 240,000.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 2 July 2025
There was a photograph of Leonard: white shirt, dark tie, cigarette in one hand, pencil in the other, and, on the wall behind him, a steer’s horned skull and an array of guns.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Since the gig is brief and can be catered to suit different time commitments, any work schedule can pencil in time for kitten fostering.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pencil in
Cite this Entry
“Pencil in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencil%20in. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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