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to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it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
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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.
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Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blue-pencil
Verb
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The Christ-like image and a video Trump posted depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes were both deleted after backlash.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
7 June 2026
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Columbia failed to delete SSN database Columbia had already faced criticism for taking about a week to notify victims of the breach, since each day without notice increases the risk of identity theft.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
4 June 2026
Verb
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The international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut due to the earthquake, and 17 domestic flights were canceled, civil aviation officials said.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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The county civil grand jury concluded the school board canceled the contract based on a misrepresentation of the facts, failed to act in students’ best interest, disparaged the school community and took actions that were supposed to be handled by district staff.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blue-pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blue-pencil. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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