fabric
Americannoun
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fabrics
plural
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a cloth made by weaving, knitting, or felting fibers.
woolen fabrics.
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the texture of the woven, knitted, or felted material.
cloth of a soft, pliant fabric.
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framework; structure.
the fabric of society.
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a building; edifice.
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the method of construction.
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the act of constructing, especially of a church building.
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the maintenance of such a building.
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Petrography. the spatial arrangement and orientation of the constituents of a rock.
noun
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any cloth made from yarn or fibres by weaving, knitting, felting, etc
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the texture of a cloth
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a structure or framework
the fabric of society
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a style or method of construction
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rare a building
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the texture, arrangement, and orientation of the constituents of a rock
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fabric
1475–85; (< Middle French fabrique ) < Latin fabrica craft, especially metalworking or building, workshop. See forge 1
Explanation
Fabric is what something is made from, especially clothing. Silk is a common fabric, but you can also talk about "the fabric of society." The most common use of fabric is for clothes: for example, denim is the fabric used to make jeans. All clothes are made of some type or combination of fabrics. The basic structure of a building or a vehicle can also be called fabric, and non-physical things can be represented as fabric too. Metaphorically, you could say honesty is part of the fabric of friendship, or love is part of the fabric of family. Fabric is always the foundation or essence of something.
Vocabulary lists containing fabric
Sula
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"Familiar Places"
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Messenger
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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.
See Examples For:
According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, massive objects curve the fabric of spacetime.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
"Since 1901, this football club has been part of the fabric of our city and the broader county of Sussex," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
The airship’s 242 tons were lifted by more than 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen, held in 16 large fabric bags, or cells.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Their collections are more than garments and pieces of fabric; they are reflections of the people who seek them out, restore them and make them their own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Lily pulled out a thick album with a fabric cover, much tidier than the battered Big Blue Book Chicken loved so much.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
Slouchy hoodies over gossamer layers, wired cage-like corsets, an earthy milieu of silky, quilted and textured fabrics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
"Their magnetic fabrics help us determine whether deformation occurred before, during, or after the rocks were emplaced."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Its fine jewelry is paired with wallpapers from French design house Mauny and fabrics by Pierre Frey and Lee Jofa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
The soft green remains in the primary bedroom, which also features moody fabrics, such as a tapestry hanging on the wall and heavy patterned curtains.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Penelope looked with sudden longing at the sumptuous fabrics arrayed before her.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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.
