stencil

stencil — noun

1. A stencil is a thin flat piece of plastic, metal, or cardboard that has shapes o

1.nounB1
Definition

A stencil is a thin flat piece of plastic, metal, or cardboard that has shapes or letters cut through it. You put it against a wall, fabric, or paper and then brush or spray paint across the openings. The paint goes through the cut areas and leaves a copy of the shape on the material underneath.

Example

Brandon cut a leaf shape from cardboard to use as a stencil for art class.

use [object] as a stencil

The teacher handed each student a plastic stencil with the letters of the alphabet.

Common collocations
  • plastic stencil
  • cardboard stencil
  • metal stencil
  • cut a stencil
  • use a stencil
  • make a stencil
  • stencil with a brush
Synonyms
  • template

    Broader term — templates can be digital guides or full-size paper patterns; stencils are always physical sheets with cut-out openings.

  • mask

    Used mainly in spray-painting and screen-printing; a mask typically blocks more area than it reveals.

Common Mistakes

I bought a stencil of a flower on my shirt.
I bought a shirt with a stencil of a flower on it.
A stencil is the tool used to print a pattern, not the pattern itself; the pattern is on the shirt, not the tool.

2. A mark, image, or piece of text that appears on a surface after paint or ink has

2.nounB2
Definition

A mark, image, or piece of text that appears on a surface after paint or ink has been applied through a cut-out template and the template has been lifted away.

Example

The walls of the shop were covered with colourful stencils of leaves and vines.

stencil + on [surface] (the finished design)

Tanvi pointed at the stencil above the door — a blue circle with a star inside.

Common collocations
  • paint a stencil
  • colourful stencil
  • stencil on the wall
  • stencil on fabric
  • framed stencil
Synonyms
  • print

    More general — produced by any printing method; a stencil is a specific kind of print made through a cut-out template.

  • design

    Can refer to any decorative motif drawn by hand; a stencil is always the physical result of printing through a template.

  • pattern

    Often implies repetition; a stencil may be a single image or a repeating motif.

Usage Note

This sense refers to the finished pattern or image, not the tool used to create it. Compare with sense 1 (CUT-OUT TEMPLATE).

stencil — verb

Word family

  • stencilling
    nounB2
  • stencilled
    adjectiveB2
  • stenciler
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A stencil is a thin sheet with openings cut through it; paint or ink passes through the openings onto a surface. A template is a broader term — it can be any physical or digital guide used to produce consistent shapes or layouts (e.g. a letter template in a word processor). A pattern is a decorative design that is often repeated, and it may be drawn, printed, or woven — it is the result, not the tool. A mould (or mold) is a hollow container into which a soft material such as plaster or chocolate is poured; it creates a three-dimensional copy. To illustrate: you use a stencil to spray paint a star on a T-shirt; you use a template to trace a circle onto wood; you follow a sewing pattern to cut fabric for a dress; and you pour resin into a mould to make a solid star-shaped ornament.

stencil ↗template ↗pattern ↗mould ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • use a stencil
  • cut a stencil
  • make a stencil
  • stencil by hand

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word stencil comes from the Old French word estenceler meaning 'to cover with bright particles' or 'to sparkle'. That word traces back to estencele, meaning 'a spark or a star', which comes from the Latin word scintilla, also meaning 'spark'. The meaning shifted over time: from 'sparkle' to 'decorate with bright colours' to 'paint using a cut-out pattern' — and finally to the physical template used for that kind of decoration.