pen·cil
ˈpen(t)-səl 
1
: an artist's brush
2
: an artist's individual skill or style
3
a
: an implement for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance
b
: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications
4
: a set of geometric objects each pair of which has a common property
the lines in a plane through a point comprise a pencil of lines
5
: something (such as a beam of radiation) long and thin like a pencil
penciled or pencilled; penciling or pencilling
ˈpen(t)-s(ə-)liŋ
1
: to paint, draw, write, or mark with a pencil
2
: to plan or designate tentatively
—used with in
penciled him in as the nominee
Examples of pencil in a Sentence
Noun
Use a pencil instead of a pen so you can erase your mistakes.
Verb
He penciled some notes on a piece of paper.
Recent Examples on the Web
Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Synthesizing a pencil-size sample in a robotic lab is far from producing tonnes of it at semiconductor purity or certifying it for aircraft use.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
Maybe the Giants didn’t see enough from Kai-Wei Teng or Carson Whisenhunt or Hayden Birdsong to pencil them into next year’s rotation.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pencil
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Noun
Dressed up with sleek pencil skirts or down with relaxed jeans, the versatile layer has been spotted on A-listers like Kate Middleton, Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Keri Russell, and more.
—Izzy Baskette, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Synthesizing a pencil-size sample in a robotic lab is far from producing tonnes of it at semiconductor purity or certifying it for aircraft use.
—Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
Barring a surprising spending spree from owner Arte Moreno this winter, the Angels will still go into next year with most of the baseball world penciling them in for another losing record.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Oct. 2025
Maybe the Giants didn’t see enough from Kai-Wei Teng or Carson Whisenhunt or Hayden Birdsong to pencil them into next year’s rotation.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pencil
Cite this Entry
“Pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencil. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pencil
1 of 2 noun
pen·cil
ˈpen(t)-səl
1
: an instrument for writing, drawing, or marking consisting of or containing a slender cylinder or strip of a solid marking substance
2
: something like a pencil in form or use
an eyebrow pencil
pencil
2 of 2 verb
penciled or pencilled; penciling or pencilling
ˈpen(t)-s(ə-)liŋ
: to mark, draw, or write with or as if with a pencil
Etymology
Noun
Middle English pensel "an artist's brush, pencil," from early French pincel (same meaning), derived from Latin penicillus, literally, "little tail" — related to penicillin see Word History at 3pen
Medical Definition
pencil
noun
pen·cil
ˈpen(t)-səl
1
: a small medicated or cosmetic roll or stick for local applications
a menthol pencil
2
: an aggregate of rays of radiation (as light) especially when diverging from or converging to a point
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