pencil pusher

noun

: a person who does predominantly paperwork

Examples of pencil pusher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Legacy operators are being nudged out by pencil pushers and industrious Yemeni tobacco-shop owners. Jay Bulger, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2024 This might sound normal for your typical office worker, stuck at home during the pandemic, but Wolfe is no pencil pusher. Andrew Weaver, Outside Online, 3 July 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pencil pusher.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pencil pusher was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near pencil pusher

Cite this Entry

“Pencil pusher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pencil%20pusher. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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