stencil

1 of 3

noun (1)

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 3

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 

stenciler

3 of 3

noun (2)

sten·​cil·​er

variants or stenciller

-s(ə̇)lə(r) 

plural -s

: one that stencils: such as

a

: one whose work is decorating or identifying articles by means of stencils

b

: a worker who stencils patterns for the garment cutter

Examples of stencil in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

The documents include a guide on how to create stencils for graffiti and another on how and where to place large posters advertising the group, including instructions on how to mix flour and water to create wheat paste to stick the posters up. —Will Carless, USA Today, 4 June 2026

Use stencils for an easy DIY, or map out your own design with painter's tape. —Jenny Hughes, The Spruce, 25 May 2026

Verb

Familiar drinks like lattes might contain special spices or honey; at Arwa, lattes features the outline of a camel stenciled in spices. —Dee-Ann Durbin, Twin Cities, 5 May 2026

The process involved stenciling all the pattern pieces, pre-staining them, and adding dragon skin silicone, a strong and stretchy mold material, which was painted with glue gel to give it that wet look. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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 (1)

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1828, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stencil

• pencil
• tensile
• commensal
• prehensile
• utensil
• intercensal

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