pencil in

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle in

Usefulness

Meanings

1

Tentatively schedule something

Why “in”? A person, idea, effort, or item becomes part of a group, activity, or plan.

Let's pencil in Friday.
Let's plan for Friday, but allow the date to change.
Pencil in a call for Tuesday.
Plan a call for Tuesday, but allow the time to change.

Don't confuse with

pencil inpencil out

Pencil in means tentatively schedule something. Pencil out means write a rough plan or outline of something.

Test yourself

Let's pencil in Friday. What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

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