stencil

American  

[sten-suhl] / ˈstɛn səl /

noun

1. a device for applying a pattern, design, words, etc., to a surface, consisting of a thin sheet of cardboard, metal, or other material from which figures or letters have been cut out, a coloring substance, ink, etc., being rubbed, brushed, or pressed over the sheet, passing through the perforations and onto the surface.

2. the letters, designs, etc., produced on a surface by this method.

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verb (used with object)

stenciled, stenciling, stencilled, stencilling

1. to mark or paint (a surface) by means of a stencil.

2. to produce (letters, figures, designs, etc.) by means of a stencil.

stencil British  

/ ˈstɛnsəl /

noun

1. a device for applying a design, characters, etc, to a surface, consisting of a thin sheet of plastic, metal, cardboard, etc in which the design or characters have been cut so that ink or paint can be applied through the incisions onto the surface

2. a decoration, design, or characters produced in this way

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verb

1. to mark (a surface) with a stencil

2. to produce (characters or a design) with a stencil

Other Word Forms

• stenciler noun
• stenciller noun

Etymology

Origin of stencil

1375–1425; earlier stanesile, late Middle English stansele to ornament with diverse colors or spangles < Middle French estanceler, derivative of estencele a spark, ornamental spangle < Vulgar Latin *stincilla, metathetic variant of Latin scintilla scintilla

Explanation

A stencil is a stiff sheet of material with a design or image cut out of it. When you apply ink or paint to the stencil, the design is printed on the surface below. Number and letter stencils make it easier to paint your new boat's name on its hull or to put your address on your mailbox. Stencil can also be a verb. You might stencil glow-in-the-dark stars all over your bedroom ceiling. Stencil comes from the Middle English stencellen, "decorate with bright colors."

Example Sentences

The team noted that this hand stencil stands out as a unique variation of a common motif.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

A simple hand stencil found on a cave wall in Indonesia has been identified as the oldest known example of rock art on Earth.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

A light source with a very tight wavelength, somewhere between ultraviolet light and X-rays, shines through a chip-shaped stencil and onto the silicon wafer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

Extreme ultraviolet light is reflected off of a stencil that contains the pattern for billions of transistors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

What about issuing stickers printed with the words “This apostrophe is not necessary”? What about telling people to shin up ladders at dead of night with an apostrophe-shaped stencil and a tin of paint?

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

Related Words

• arrangement