stencil — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A thin sheet, either perforated or using some other technique, with which a pattern may be produced upon a surface; a utensil that contains a perforated sheet.

   Examples

   You do not necessarily need to have a stencil brush to paint over a stencil.

2. A pattern produced using such a utensil.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   In 2013 a damaged stencil of a rat and an image of a girl hugging a bomb were painted over on the walls of a Fitzroy church by the building owner’s father-in-law, who tried to help out by painting the building while house sitting. He did not know the significance of the stencils.

3. A two-ply master sheet for use with a mimeograph.

Verb

1. To print with a stencil.

   Usage

   • Intransitive
   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Stencilled letters were used for words and phrases, as well as for captions for some of his stencil “prints,” print being used in the sense of a multicolor woodcut.

Noun

1. a sheet of material (metal, plastic, cardboard, waxed paper, silk, etc.) that has been perforated with a pattern (printing or a design); ink or paint can pass through the perforations to create the printed pattern on the surface below

   Broader terms

   sheetflat solid

Verb

1. mark or print with a stencil

   Broader terms

   print