boilerplate

noun

boil·er·plate ˈbȯi-lər-ˌplāt

: syndicated material supplied especially to weekly newspapers in matrix or plate form

: standardized text

: formulaic or hackneyed language

bureaucratic boilerplate

: tightly packed icy snow

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Boilerplate in Print

In the days before computers, small newspapers around the U.S. relied heavily on feature stories, editorials, and other printed material supplied by large publishing syndicates. The syndicates delivered that copy on metal plates with the type already in place so the local papers wouldn't have to set it. Printers apparently dubbed those syndicated plates "boiler plates" because of their resemblance to the plating used in making steam boilers. Soon boilerplate came to refer to the printed material on the plates as well as to the plates themselves. Because boilerplate stories were often more filler—material used to fill extra space in a column or page of a newspaper to increase its size—than important or informative news, the word acquired negative connotations and gained the "standardized or formulaic language" sense widely used today.

Examples of boilerplate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

As in many cases examined by ProPublica, the psychiatrists reviewing Dwyer’s treatment used boilerplate language in their denial letters and failed to provide or offer a sufficient explanation. —

Duaa Eldeib, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2024 The other 52% of filings shared only the same, vague boilerplate language about the incidents. —

Sam Sabin, Axios, 10 Dec. 2024 Both the Hatter and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) get boilerplate tragic origins in a cluttered plot that’s drowned out by the hideous, oppressive visual effects. —

Josh Bell, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024 Read full email › Even the difference in the boilerplate language at the bottom of each email is striking. —

Lazaro Gamio, New York Times, 18 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for boilerplate