penciling

US: (pen′sə ling)

From the verb pencil: (⇒ conjugate)

penciling is: ⓘ

v pres p (US)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pen•cil•ing  (pen′sə ling), n. 

1. Fine Art work or markings done with or as if with a pencil or brush, esp. fine or delicate work done with a pencil or brush on a painting or drawing.
2. Fine Art a drawing or sketch made with a pencil.

• pencil + -ing¹ 1700–10

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pen•cil /ˈpɛnsəl/   n., v., -ciled, -cil•ing or (esp. Brit.) -cilled, -cil•ling. 
n. 

1. a slender tube of wood, metal, etc., containing a thin piece of graphite, etc., used for writing or drawing:
   [countable] broke the point on his pencil.
   [uncountable* in + ~]
   Write your answers in pencil.
2. a stick of cosmetic coloring material for use on the face:
   [countable] an eyebrow pencil.

v. 

3. to write, draw, or mark with or as if with a pencil:
   [~ + object] penciled a note at the end of the memo.
4. pencil in, to add, schedule, or list (something) that may be changed, by or as if by writing down in pencil: [~ + in + object]
   penciled in the names of several players who might be needed if the star was too ill.
   [~ + object + in]
   I'll pencil you in for ten o'clock.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pen•cil  (pen′səl), n., v., -ciled, -cil•ing or (esp. Brit.) -cilled, -cil•ling. 
n. 

1. a slender tube of wood, metal, plastic, etc., containing a core or strip of graphite, a solid coloring material, or the like, used for writing or drawing.
2. a stick of cosmetic coloring material for use on the eyebrows, eyelids, etc.
3. anything shaped or used like a pencil, as a stick of medicated material:
   a styptic pencil.
4. a narrow set of lines, light rays, or the like, diverging from or converging to a point:
   a pencil of sunlight.
5. a slender, pointed piece of a substance used for marking.
6. style or skill in drawing or delineation:
   He favored the late products of the artist's pencil.
7. Mathematics the collection of lines, planes, or surfaces passing through a given point or set of points and satisfying a given equation or condition.
8. Fine Art [Archaic.] an artist's paintbrush, esp. for fine work.

v.t. 

9. to write, draw, mark, or color with, or as if with, a pencil.
10. to use a pencil on.
11. pencil in, to schedule or list tentatively, as or as if by writing down in pencil rather than in ink:
    I'll pencil you in for ten o'clock.

• Middle French pincel Latin pēnicillus painter's brush or pencil, diminutive of pēniculus little tail. See penis, -cule¹
• Middle English pencel 1350–1400

pen′cil•er*  [esp. Brit.,] pen′cil•ler, n. 
pen′cil•like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pencil / ˈpɛns^əl/ noun

1. a thin cylindrical instrument used for writing, drawing, etc, consisting of a rod of graphite or other marking substance, usually either encased in wood and sharpened or held in a mechanical metal device
2. something similar in shape or function: a styptic pencil, an eyebrow pencil
3. a narrow set of lines or rays, such as light rays, diverging from or converging to a point
4. an artist's individual style or technique in drawing

verb ( -cils, -cilling, -cilled) ( -cils, -ciling, -ciled)(transitive)

1. to draw, colour, or write with a pencil
2. to mark with a pencil

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French pincel, from Latin pēnicillus painter's brush, from pēniculus a little tail, from pēnis tail

ˈpenciller, ˈpenciler noun