cloth

American  

[klawth, kloth] / klɔθ, klɒθ /

noun

cloths plural

1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting, etc., from wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other fiber, used for garments, upholstery, and many other items.

2. a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose.

   an altar cloth.

3. the particular attire of any profession, especially that of the clergy.

4. the cloth, the clergy.

   men of the cloth.

5. Nautical.

   1. one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.

   2. any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.

   3. a number of sails taken as a whole.

6. Obsolete. a garment; clothing.

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adjective

1. of or made of cloth.

   She wore a cloth coat trimmed with fur.

2. clothbound.

cloth British  

/ klɒθ /

noun

1. 1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting or knitting wool, cotton, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cloth bag

2. a piece of such fabric used for a particular purpose, as for a dishcloth

3. 1. the clothes worn by a clergyman

   2. the clergy

4. obsolete clothing

5. nautical any of the panels of a sail

6. a piece of coloured fabric, used on the stage as scenery

7. a garment in a traditional non-European style

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cloth Idioms  

1. see out of whole cloth; sackcloth and ashes.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undercloth
  noun
• clothlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cloths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cloth

before 900; Middle English cloth, clath cloth, garment, Old English clāth; cognate with Dutch kleed, German Kleid

Explanation

Cloth is fabric, a woven material. When you sew your own clothes, you start with a piece of cloth. Cloth is made from some sort of fiber, often cotton or wool, or a synthetic like rayon or polyester. Your clothing is made from cloth, as are the curtains in your house, your favorite tote bag, and the table cloth in your kitchen. The Old English root is claþ, which means "cloth or sail," but also "woven material to wrap around oneself," or "garment."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cloth cloths

Wrap ice packs in a cloth or place them on a tray to avoid condensation soaking bedding or direct cold contact with skin.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

The white cloth that was draped over the jeans-maker’s logo was so thin that the coverup practically accentuated the block letters spelling out its name.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

Another man was dressed in overalls in star-spangled colors while one couple wore large and seemingly uncomfortable bald eagle heads, topped by red, white and blue cloth stovepipe hats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

But do not be tempted to cover a pram or pushchair with a muslin cloth or blanket - even if it's in the shade - because it can stop airflow and get too hot.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

We had no idea what this meant but everyone in the household submitted to having the strip of cloth wrapped around his arm and air pumped into it.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Milkmen fought back in various ways, putting stones atop the lids and draping cloths over them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

The bundles include clothing for newborns to six-month-olds, blankets, bibs, muslin cloths, a thermometer, a bilingual book and a playmat.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

Should these symptoms arise, you should call 911, move to a cooler place and try to lower the person’s temperature with a cool bath or cloths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025

The varnish, applied during a 1975-76 restoration, will be removed using microfibre cloths and cotton swabs.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2024

Yet my eye could not decipher those vendors: they wrapped their heads in bright-colored cloths as cheerful as a party, but faced the world with permanent vile frowns.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• cotton
• goods
• material
• stuff