stencil

1 of 2

noun

sten·​cil ˈsten(t)-səl 

1

: an impervious material (such as a sheet of paper, thin wax, or woven fabric) perforated with lettering or a design through which a substance (such as ink, paint, or metallic powder) is forced onto a surface to be printed

2

: something (such as a pattern, design, or print) that is produced by means of a stencil

3

: a printing process that uses a stencil

stencil

2 of 2

verb

stenciled or stencilled; stenciling or stencilling ˈsten(t)-s(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to mark or paint with a stencil

2

: to produce by stencil

stenciler noun

or stenciller

ˈsten(t)-s(ə-)lər 

Examples of stencil in a Sentence

Noun

The walls of the living room had a delicate vine stencil drawn on them.

Verb

We stenciled the room's walls.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Moreover, stencils deliver impact and convey authenticity. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Simply place the stencil against your eyelid, follow the guidelines, and fill in your eyeliner. —Hyphensocial Contributors, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2024

Verb

The all-deep blue jersey/pants combo with gold numbers and white helmets was a fresh take on a classic look, especially for the helmets that had an anchor stenciled in gold over the white. —Matt Weyrich, Baltimore Sun, 11 Dec. 2024

Most recently, Banksy spent part of his summer stenciling images of wildlife across London. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably ultimately from Middle English stanseld brightly ornamented, from Anglo-French estencelé spangled, past participle of estenceler to sparkle, from estencele spark, from Vulgar Latin *stincilla, alteration of Latin scintilla

First Known Use

Noun

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

stencil

1 of 2 noun

sten·​cil ˈsten(t)-səl 

1

: a piece of material (as a sheet of paper) with lettering or a design that is cut out and through which ink or paint is forced onto a surface to be printed

2

: a design or print produced with a stencil

stencil

2 of 2 verb

stenciled or stencilled; stenciling or stencilling

-s(ə-)liŋ

1

: to paint with a stencil

2

: to produce by a stencil