as in to delete
to show (something written) to be no longer valid by drawing a cross over or a line through it
military censors blue-penciled any remarks that could possibly be deemed critical
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of blue-pencil
Before getting sunk by a turgid love story — the kind of cinematic dead zone Thalberg would have blue-penciled in the screenplay stage — The Last Tycoon provides a good sense of what a producer actually does.
—
Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blue-pencil
Verb
-
Megan later deleted the clip, but the video had already made its rounds online.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
14 July 2025
-
In a scathing rant on X (which has since been deleted), Musk criticized the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein records.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
Since 1962, the game has been canceled only three times: in 2011 (lockout), 2016 (bad field conditions) and 2020 (pandemic).—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
31 July 2025
-
Peru Peru’s national emergency center has canceled tsunami alerts for the country’s entire coast as of 9:15 p.m. local time (10:15 p.m. ET).—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Blue-pencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blue-pencil. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share