pencil in

verb

penciled in or pencilled in; penciling in or pencilling in; pencils in

Synonyms of pencil 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

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.

But officials had already penciled in another rate hike later this year, which economists mostly expect to occur in December. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Fed officials have penciled in just one more rate hike this year. — Christopher Rugaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Pick the diameter and put the pencil in the corresponding hole, place the pin at the center, and rotate the ruler around it. — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026 Fed officials at their September meeting approved a quarter percentage point rate increase and penciled in the likelihood of another by the end of the year. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pencil in

Browse Nearby Words

pencil flower

pencil in

penciling

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pencil in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencil%20in. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

pencil in

verb

Examples of pencil in in a Sentence

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vocation

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes