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

The narrow, cobblestone roads here form a veritable open-air gallery, lined with pastel houses and street art, including stencil drawings and graffiti. —Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 17 Apr. 2025

This way, the masks create a guide for a super-clean eyeliner application while catching any fallout from powder eyeshadows, creating a stencil effect for flawless eye makeup. —Claire Sullivan, WWD, 24 Mar. 2025

Verb

The original drawing of the monorail, stenciled by Gurr within three days of getting the assignment and colored by John Hench, hangs in Gurr’s living room. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Tributes included his number 49 embroidered on hats, stenciled in the fairway exactly 49 yards off the tee box of the 18th hole, and featured on the flag at the 18th green. —Erik Matuszewski, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025

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

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