as in to delete
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it
military censors blue-penciled any remarks that could possibly be deemed critical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of blue-pencil
Before getting sunk by a turgid love story — the kind of cinematic dead zone Thalberg would have blue-penciled in the screenplay stage — The Last Tycoon provides a good sense of what a producer actually does.
—
Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blue-pencil
Verb
-
The Windows-maker has generated a raft of headlines this time around by confirming its new default and that users should be deleting passwords from their accounts.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
-
This bill proposes to delete the requirement that the insurance policy name the HOA as an additionally named insured.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2025
Verb
-
Trump skipped three times during his last presidency (the 2020 affair was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic).—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
-
Organizers and the Kennedy Center have canceled a week’s worth of events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights for this summer’s World Pride festival in Washington amid a shift in priorities and the ousting of leadership at one of the nation’s premier cultural institutions.—
Ashraf Khalil,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blue-pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blue-pencil. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share