mechanical pencil
(North America) A writing instrument with a replaceable, mechanically extendable graphite lead that eliminates the need for sharpening.
Seen in the wild
@brouhaha I've had this happen with CPU's in the past. If the pins are a bit bent then an empty mechanical pencil is the best tool too straighten the pins. Many modern Thermal Interface Materials are now designed n…
Staples wants to charge me $30 for a mechanical pencil that Pentel sells on their site for $20 that I can buy *through the Pentel store on Amazon* for $10. www.staples.com/pentel-graph... www.pentel.com/products/g…
Definitions
(North America) A writing instrument with a replaceable, mechanically extendable graphite lead that eliminates the need for sharpening.
“@brouhaha I've had this happen with CPU's in the past. If the pins are a bit bent then an empty mechanical pencil is the best tool too straighten the pins. Many modern Thermal Interface Materials are now designed not to dry out, such as Duronaut from Thermal Grizzly 🙂”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Staples wants to charge me $30 for a mechanical pencil that Pentel sells on their site for $20 that I can buy *through the Pentel store on Amazon* for $10. www.staples.com/pentel-graph... www.pentel.com/products/gra... www.amazon.com/Pentel-Autom...”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "mechanical pencil".
🎤About Black culture & AAVE slang
Slang from Black American Vernacular English (AAVE), hip-hop, drag and ballroom culture, the Caribbean, and NYC street vocabulary. The single largest source of new mainstream English slang in living memory.
See all Black culture & AAVE slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "mechanical pencil" (M)
Browse all slang words starting with M.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- 73%
The standard British English term for a mechanical pencil — a pencil with a mechanism that advances the lead when a button or barrel is turned. 'Propelling pencil' is the conventional British term; North American English uses 'mechanical pencil.' The term accurately describes how the pencil works.
- 69%
(UK) A mechanical pencil.
- 66%
(India) A mechanical pencil.
- 64%
An Indian English term for a mechanical pencil — the kind with a thin lead that clicks or twists out of a metal or plastic barrel rather than needing sharpening. The name reflects a common naming pattern in Indian English where a newer or more sophisticated version of a familiar object gets the prefix of something pen-like. Pen pencil is completely standard and widely understood across India, often preferred in schools and offices for its precision and neatness.
- 59%
(US) A standard, ordinary pencil; one which is not colored or mechanical or in any other way unusual.