pencil in

verb

penciled in or pencilled in; penciling in or pencilling in; pencils in
Synonyms of pencil innext
: 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.
While Benton still is penciled in as the starting nose — with Harmon on one side and Heyward on the other — new defensive line coach Domata Peko has said Benton will be deployed across the defensive front. — Mike Defabo, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026 Competition remains throughout fall camp for whoever will play alongside senior Boen Phelps, who appears to be the only player penciled in as a starter at linebacker. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 8 Aug. 2026 Still, a market where the priciest co-ops are selling faster while the priciest condos are stalling is not the market anyone penciled in this year. — John Walkup, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Thorbjornsen's name has been penciled in, although he's been sneakily fantastic in his short PGA Tour career. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pencil in

Browse Nearby Words

pencil flower
pencil in
penciling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pencil in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencil%20in. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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