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
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Decorate with ribbons, tiaras, stencils, paint pens, and more.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Those greats — and many more — are stencilled on the outside of Borussia-Park, where Gladbach will face Freiburg this weekend.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stencil
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Noun
What’s left acts as a protective stencil for later steps, like etching the metal or silicon.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
Decorate with ribbons, tiaras, stencils, paint pens, and more.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
Use a black paint pen to freehand or stencil your house numbers on a simple white pumpkin, then surround it with additional pumpkins of all shapes and sizes and plenty of colorful fall blooms for a charming tableau.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Those greats — and many more — are stencilled on the outside of Borussia-Park, where Gladbach will face Freiburg this weekend.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stencil
Cite this Entry
“Stencil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stencil. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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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