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

noun

• 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

While Lee Duveneck’s dominant Man of the Cloth had authoritative moments, he failed to sustain his character’s fearsomeness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

Hill has now exhibited her work with the interior designer and curator Tione Trice’s Of the Cloth studio and at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Express Newark arts center and the Newark Museum of Art.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2024

Cloth and medical-grade masks were a common sight before the pandemic in parts of the world.

From Washington Times • Nov. 21, 2023

But many of the company’s higher-end products, including its $350 Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser Jacket and its $455 Skagit Rain Jacket, are imported, according to its online catalog.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 2, 2023

He loves his shoes, Cloth like a sail, Rubber like A lifeboat on rough sea.

From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto

Related Words

• cotton
• goods
• material
• stuff