stencil

1 of 2

noun

sten·​cil ˈsten(t)-səl How to pronounce stencil (audio)
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 How to pronounce stencil (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to mark or paint with a stencil
2
: to produce by stencil
stenciler noun
or stenciller

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
Simply place the stencil against your eyelid, follow the guidelines, and fill in your eyeliner. Kathy Barr, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023 Decorate these treats for the holidays with a snowflake stencil and powdered sugar. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2023 Carve This Spooky Frankenstein Pumpkin for Halloween 08 Crow Pumpkins Get the free stencils Get ready to spook friends and family with these eerie pumpkins. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2023 The stencil can be filled with ozone-friendly spray paint or acrylic paint. Vogue, 8 Sep. 2023 Editor's Tip Size your dog pumpkin stencil to fit any pumpkin. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Sep. 2023 The artist’s popularity and the fact that the bulk of Banksy’s work is stencils – which are easily reproduced by anyone with some talent, time and an Exacto knife – ensure fakes and copies will continue to be made. Tyson Mitman, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2023 The field numbers are still applied by workers using stencils. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2023 These are our best free printable pumpkin carving stencils. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Oct. 2023
Verb
The work is stenciled on the lower part of the palace building, which is usually left unpainted due to splashing waves from passing boats, according to Artnet’s Adam Schrader. Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Nov. 2023 Each of his 100-plus tats was closely matched using 3D scanning, with the stenciling and coloring processes taking approximately nine weeks total. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2023 The surrealism is completed by six disembodied human hands stenciled above and below the animals. Roger Lewin, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Against a red background, the words SAN DIEGO STATE were stenciled in white lettering in the north end zone and AZTECS in the south end zone. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023 Simply use a black paint pen to freehand or stencil your house numbers on a simple white pumpkin. 17 Farmhouse Pumpkin Display Farmhouse decor is a popular trend this year, and the holidays are a fun time to employ the look. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2023 Her show often featured guest crafters with a particular expertise — in stenciling, for instance, or coffee can creations. Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, 17 Aug. 2023 The ceiling is stenciled with black-and-white children’s drawings that brings to mind a crew of miniature Tiepolos supine on scaffolding, doodling upward. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2023 Some members depicted oceans while others stenciled outlines of boats on a dock. Sydney Carruth, AZCentral.com, 2 July 2023 See More

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of stencil was in 1707

Dictionary Entries Near stencil

Cite this Entry

“Stencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stencil. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

stencil

1 of 2 noun
sten·​cil ˈsten(t)-səl How to pronounce stencil (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on stencil

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