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

The last detail was not exactly invented from whole cloth.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

His character in Netflix’s eight-part crime thriller, meanwhile, is cut from a different cloth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Kitson puts the designs onto mural cloth before sealing them to walls with adhesive.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

With a few snips of her scissors, a plain whiteboard rag transforms into three strips of cloth perfect for braiding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

I changed my clothes from the skin out and put on sealskin pants and my best parka and the parka cover I had made of red cotton cloth.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Groups of stakeholders including terminal operators, cruise lines and union representatives sat at large round tables with green table cloths and floral centerpieces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 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

That's when she saw "little bundles", wrapped in cloths that had gone black from rot and damp, and were "packed one after the other, in rows up to the ceiling".

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2025

To make her feel better, I put cool cloths on her forehead and told her stories.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

Related Words

• cotton
• goods
• material
• stuff