cloth
Americannoun
plural
cloths-
a fabric formed by weaving, felting, etc., from wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other fiber, used for garments, upholstery, and many other items.
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a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose.
an altar cloth.
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the particular attire of any profession, especially that of the clergy.
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the cloth, the clergy.
men of the cloth.
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Nautical.
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one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
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any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
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a number of sails taken as a whole.
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Obsolete. a garment; clothing.
adjective
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of or made of cloth.
She wore a cloth coat trimmed with fur.
noun
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a fabric formed by weaving, felting or knitting wool, cotton, etc
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( as modifier )
a cloth bag
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a piece of such fabric used for a particular purpose, as for a dishcloth
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the clothes worn by a clergyman
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the clergy
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obsolete clothing
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nautical any of the panels of a sail
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a piece of coloured fabric, used on the stage as scenery
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a garment in a traditional non-European style
Other Word Forms
- clothlike adjective
- undercloth noun
Etymology
Origin of cloth
before 900; Middle English cloth, clath cloth, garment, Old English clāth; cognate with Dutch kleed, German Kleid
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In keeping with the elegant surroundings, a deep red damask cloth draped the table, almost to the floor.
From Literature
Taking one of the cloth strips, Grandpa started wrapping the jaws.
From Literature
Sometimes that was cheaper than trading for cloth and yarn in the markets.
From Literature
Sat behind a fringing machine at the mill, Hyslop, 28, deftly ran a dark cashmere fabric destined for a Spanish luxury brand through its frame, twisting the ends of the cloth into fringes.
From Barron's
Dana raises a large piece of cloth to give Ilana privacy as she completes the process.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
