boilerplate
noun
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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
Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
That being said, the film’s human storylines — about a Godzilla hunter, his precocious daughter, and a photojournalist looking for the ultimate Godzilla shot — are a boilerplate extension of the Heisei era in structure and tone.
—Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for boilerplate 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boilerplate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Boilerplate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boilerplate. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
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boilerplate
noun
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