decal
Americannoun
-
a specially prepared paper bearing a picture or design for transfer to wood, metal, glass, etc.
-
the picture or design itself.
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of decal
First recorded in 1950–55; shortened form of decalcomania
Explanation
A decal is an image that can be transferred to a surface using heat or water. Decals are similar to stickers, but they don't use a sticky substance for adhering to the new surface. A decal is sometimes called a "transfer," and it consists of a picture, image, pattern, or design that's printed on paper, plastic, or cloth. By holding a hot iron on the back of the decal, or dabbing a small amount of water on it, the image can be moved to a new surface. Decal is a shortened form of decalcomania, from the original French décalcomanie, a technique for transferring prints onto pottery.
Vocabulary lists containing decal
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Users have pointed out that the American flag decal on the phone’s case does not display the flag properly, showing 11 stripes instead of 13 to represent the Thirteen Colonies.
From Salon ● May 21, 2026
When Bronner pulled up to company headquarters in his Tesla—a dragon decal along the side and a speckled mutt in the back seat—he was 30 minutes late.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
On Sunday, one of the ICE cars, a familiar white SUV from Terminal Island, was spotted with a new decal on its door: a bright-yellow “$8 Wash and Wax” sticker.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2025
Through the tear gas and dust, his family recognized Retes’ car and the veteran decal on his window.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2025
They had no official uniforms, but wore helmets of various kinds from army surplus stores, motorcycle shops and hard-hat construction sites, each bearing a small silver decal with “Sheriff’s posse” spelled out in black letters.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
Searching the phrase on Etsy today yields thousands of products bearing the phrase, from T-shirts to window decals to letter-bead bracelets.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Sponsors might get branding at the bar, in mirror decals that show up in attendees’ photos or on QR codes on tables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
France and Germany require vehicles traveling in these areas to have special decals to show they meet emissions standards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
Last month, the DMV stopped issuing new decals and warned that the program could be ending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2025
She had a new friend named Chit—that really was his name—and he drove a yellow VW bug with bright pink and orange flower decals.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
He retreats to his souped-up, eye-catching blue trophy truck with “Philly’s Own Reinvention Club” decaled on the side, and a stab of jealousy twists Sabrina’s guts.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2022
The agency said it has been unable to determine a correlation between decaled vehicles and lethargic diamond lanes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2018
A yellow school bus belonging to their church sat nearby — ‘‘God Bless Honduras’’ and ‘‘Never Give Up’’ colorfully decaled across the windshields.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2015
Bezzina’s van, a boxy 12-seat Ford, would look at home in a church parking lot if not for the knobby antennas on top and the route decaled in yellow across its doors: “Connecting the Future.”
From Washington Times ● May 31, 2014
Helmeted, buckled up and clad in a fireproof jumpsuit, he averages about 150 m.p.h. in his 670-horsepower gold-on-black Pontiac and is usually hotly pursued by a roaring pack of heavily decaled Chevys, Fords and Chryslers.
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
