How to Use pencil in a Sentence

pencil

1 of 2 noun
  • Use a pencil instead of a pen so you can erase your mistakes.
  • Val held out her hand for the pencil.
    — Literary Hub, 11 May 2026
  • The pencil, a wand over the page.
    — Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Some may hug pencils while others may hug you.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
  • Whether paired with jeans or a pencil skirt, this blouse can be dressed up or down.
    — Mia Huelsbeck, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2023
  • The little girl had walked there to buy a pencil.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Slip on the pullover and mid-length pencil skirt for brunch, dates, or even to work.
    — Poppy Morgan, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023
  • Most vary from the size of a sesame seed to that of a pencil eraser.
    — Byelizabeth Pennisi, science.org, 1 May 2023
  • Pair the book with a set of colored pencils to round out the gift.
    — Jessica Comstock, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The pencil had never been lost.
    — Caleb Crain, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Moss added on a leather pencil skirt, which featured a sexy thigh-high slit.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Choose a healthy branch a few feet long and as thick as a pencil or your finger.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Jan. 2026
  • Choose a healthy branch a few feet long and as thick as a pencil or your finger.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Please pick up your pencil and put the tip of your pencil on the next clean line.
    — David Owen, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
  • Just the pencil stroke, no comments.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
  • To make the place card, mark the place mat's lines using a ruler and a pencil.
    — Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2023
  • The goal is to keep the pencil or pen moving the entire time.
    — Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024
  • But a great brow pencil can make a big difference.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 23 June 2026
  • The fiber broke in the middle, like a pencil snapping in two.
    — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2026
  • Sand and clean the wood panel, then use a pencil to mark off a grid of same-size squares.
    — Megan Boettcher, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Sep. 2023
  • In one, a pencil holder sat on a desk undisturbed.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
  • In one, a pencil holder sat on a desk undisturbed.
    — Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
  • Hudson paired the boho chic top with a nude pencil skirt.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Stand on one side of it with the bowl of water, pencil, and paper.
    — Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 19 Mar. 2024
  • Keep your eyebrows in place with this long-lasting brow pencil.
    — Jené Luciani Sena , Caitlyn Martyn May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The stem should be about as thick as a pencil and should have several nodes.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
  • That person tapping their pencil a few desks over?
    — Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
  • From roses to pencils, eggs to cookies, some things come by the dozen.
    — Micah A Leal, Southern Living, 26 Sep. 2023
  • The famous pencils stuffed in Grace's hair?
    — Emma Urdangen, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026
  • Supplies, from glue sticks to pencils, are needed at the top of the year.
    — Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 6 Aug. 2025

pencil

2 of 2 verb
  • He penciled some notes on a piece of paper.
  • Projects that once penciled out no longer came close to doing so.
    — Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Mar. 2023
  • Who knows if race dates penciled in in March will be erased by events down the road?
    — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2020
  • See you back here next week — if my assistant can pencil you in, that is!
    — Jodi Walker, EW.com, 2 Aug. 2021
  • He was penciled in as the starter at right tackle for the Trojans.
    — Ben Thomas | [email protected], al, 13 Feb. 2020
  • Cain said the Auburn staff has penciled him in as a speedy slot receiver.
    — Ben Thomas | [email protected], al, 30 June 2023
  • With a lucky bounce, a team and its fans should be able to expect to pencil in a sure thing for at least a decade.
    — Rahat Huq, Chron, 21 June 2021
  • The math pencils out — Anthropic got off cheap.
    — Tor Constantino, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • So tack this on to the end of another workout, or pencil it in after a brisk walk.
    — Sarah Madaus, SELF, 14 Nov. 2020
  • When insurance costs balloon like this, projects don’t pencil out.
    — Jenna Abbott, Oc Register, 30 Nov. 2025
  • He was penciled into the starting lineup in the outfield for the first time.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2019
  • Everyone else who was able to play was penciled into the lineup.
    — Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Apr. 2023
  • While playoff seeding may be penciled in, the Stars have other things to sort out.
    — Matthew Defranks, Dallas News, 6 Mar. 2020
  • Hints and answers are on the back to thwart spoilers, and there is room above each line of code to pencil in your guesses.
    — Popular Science, 23 Oct. 2019
  • For anyone eyeing a gym membership trade-off, this bike pencils out fast.
    — Joe Jackson, Outside, 19 Nov. 2025
  • Six-foot-10 Noah Clowney is penciled into the first round, too.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023
  • To finish off the style, Palmer dyed her eyebrows and penciled them in a auburn brown shade to match her hair color.
    — Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • But he'll likely be penciled in the middle of the Tigers' lineup this season.
    — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, 15 Jan. 2020
  • For those who have been able to reopen for in-person service with full meals, the economics still may not pencil out.
    — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, 8 Dec. 2020
  • And what's worse, now, the Tennessee Titans are penciled in at that sixth spot.
    — Mike Jones, USA TODAY, 23 Dec. 2019
  • Reservations are handled by phone, penciled into grids that Boyd prints each month.
    — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
  • Dante Pettis was penciled in as the 49ers’ top wide receiver a year ago.
    — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, 28 Feb. 2020
  • None of the Fed leaders penciled in a rate cut next year in their December forecasts.
    — Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2019
  • This promises to be a crowd favorite this season, thanks in large part to the lead performances, so pencil it in for the finish line.
    — Ben Flanagan | [email protected], al, 4 Oct. 2019
  • The plugged well at the site was originally drilled decades ago by Chevron, which didn’t find enough gas to pencil out, Nunn said.
    — J.d. Morris, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 Mar. 2021
  • Injuries forced Vientos into a larger role than the Mets penciled him in for at the start of the season.
    — Tim Britton, New York Times, 29 May 2026
  • But, with Glenview Place, the project plans didn't pencil out, Gorens-Levey said.
    — Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 10 Nov. 2022
  • The President told me to pencil you in to half past Go F— Yourself.
    — Dan Snierson, EW.com, 11 Sep. 2019
  • Go ahead and pencil three of those four teams into the College Football Playoff.
    — Joseph Goodman | [email protected], al, 20 Aug. 2019
  • Last week, five of six mainstream projections had the Gophers penciled in for the Rose Bowl.
    — Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 19 Nov. 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pencil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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