decal

noun

de·​cal ˈdē-ˌkal  di-ˈkal 

Canadian usually

ˈde-kəl 

: a picture, design, or label made to be transferred (as to glass) from specially prepared paper

Examples of decal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The last day that California drivers with a CAV decal will be able to drive on a carpool lane will be September 30—no matter when the decal was issued. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

Some people take all the components off the frame, strip off all the decals, then get the whole thing sanded and powder-coated with a fresh coat of paint. —New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025

Now, his teammates will continue to remember him by wearing his jersey number as a decal on their uniforms. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025

The California Department of Motor Vehicles stopped processing new applications for the decals last month. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

short for decalcomania

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for decal

• freckle
• meckel
• shekel
• speckle
• thecal

Kids Definition

decal

noun

de·​cal ˈdē-ˌkal  di-ˈkal 

ˈdek-əl

: a picture, design, or label made to be transferred (as to glass) from specially prepared paper

Etymology

a shortened form of earlier decalcomania "the art of transferring pictures," from French décalcomanie (same meaning), from décalquer "to copy by tracing" and manie "mania, craze"