boilerplate
noun
boil·er·plate
| \ ˈbȯi-lər-ˌplāt
\
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Definition of boilerplate
1
: syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form
2a
: standardized text
b
: formulaic or hackneyed language
bureaucratic boilerplate
3
: tightly packed icy snow
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Examples of boilerplate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The pact included a clause allowing either party to back out with 30 days’ notice — a provision Rendell called standard, boilerplate language for museum loans. — Steve Maas, BostonGlobe.com, "In Natick, World War II museum abruptly shuts down," 2 Sep. 2019 The movie is tense from the start, aided by the fact that the plot is far from boilerplate. — Alec Dent, National Review, "North by Northwest Turns 60," 28 June 2019 The email is really just a boilerplate form, but the subject line may include your actual password (which was probably exposed in some previous, unrelated database breach). — Washington Post, "Liz Weston: Don’t be duped by these phone and email scams," 29 July 2019 If copying a boilerplate passage in the course of research should end a journalist’s career, what of willfully getting the story wrong, with malicious intent? — Kyle Smith, National Review, "Where’s the Outrage at the Smear of Roger Scruton?," 17 July 2019 Repeal is an understandable reaction to President Donald Trump and is quickly becoming party boilerplate. — Juliette Kayyem, Twin Cities, "Juliette Kayyem: Decriminalizing border is not in anyone’s interest," 10 July 2019 Still, when targets of suspensions complain, they are usually met by a boilerplate statement that their content violated company policies, with no explanation of what those policies are or exactly what the violation was. — The Economist, "The unacknowledged legislators of the online world," 14 June 2019 Those ambitions, plus a talented cast, elevate the show above boilerplate crime-drama status. — Ew Staff, EW.com, "What to Watch this weekend: Lots of sex, drugs, and teen drama in HBO's Euphoria," 14 June 2019 The New York Times Book Review’s By the Book column is a weekly feature in which a prominent author answers a set of boilerplate questions about her reading habits. — Christian Lorentzen, Harper's magazine, "Like This or Die," 10 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'boilerplate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for boilerplate
boilerplate
noun
English Language Learners Definition of boilerplate
US
: phrases or sentences that are a standard way of saying something and are often used
See the full definition for boilerplate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
boilerplate
noun
boil·er·plate
| \ ˈbȯi-lər-ˌplāt
\
\
Legal Definition of boilerplate
: standardized text in documents (as contracts)