boilerplate

noun

boil·er·plate ˈbȯi-lər-ˌplāt

: syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form

: standardized text

: formulaic or hackneyed language

bureaucratic boilerplate

: tightly packed icy snow

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Boilerplate in Print

In the days before computers, small newspapers around the U.S. relied heavily on feature stories, editorials, and other printed material supplied by large publishing syndicates. The syndicates delivered that copy on metal plates with the type already in place so the local papers wouldn't have to set it. Printers apparently dubbed those syndicated plates "boiler plates" because of their resemblance to the plating used in making steam boilers. Soon boilerplate came to refer to the printed material on the plates as well as to the plates themselves. Because boilerplate stories were often more filler—material used to fill extra space in a column or page of a newspaper to increase its size—than important or informative news, the word acquired negative connotations and gained the "standardized or formulaic language" sense widely used today.

Examples of boilerplate in a Sentence

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This has transformed software development from a time-intensive endeavor into a highly iterative process where developers focus on solving high-impact problems rather than writing boilerplate code. —Achraf Golli, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025 But many of Utah's swankiest hillside neighborhoods are filled with boilerplate suburban homes or McMansions. —Erin Alberty, Axios, 31 Mar. 2025 In boilerplate letters, the federal government has told scientists that their science is no longer consistent with agency priorities or a good use of taxpayer funds, and that the agency will no longer fund their work. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2025 Both the Hatter and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) get boilerplate tragic origins in a cluttered plot that’s drowned out by the hideous, oppressive visual effects. —Josh Bell, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for boilerplate