pencil in

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 figuratively

He was penciled in as the director's replacement.

Examples of pencil in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The vote was unanimous, 12-0, and 16 of the 18 policymakers who submitted forecasts penciled in at least one more rate increase this year. — Benzinga, Freep.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Sixteen of the eighteen Fed policymakers who submitted growth and interest rate projections penciled in at least one further rate hike this year, with four supporting two more increases. — Democrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

Right-hander Roki Sasaki is working back from a blister on his middle finger and is penciled in to return from the IL next week against the Padres. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

However, there are no increases penciled in for subsequent years, with one cut each indicated for 2028 and at least one for 2029. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026