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
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
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
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
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
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.
Copy Citation
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
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