quilt
Americannoun
-
quilts
plural
-
a coverlet for a bed, made of two layers of fabric with some soft substance, as wool or down, between them and stitched in patterns or tufted through all thicknesses in order to prevent the filling from shifting.
-
anything quilted or resembling a quilt.
-
a bedspread or counterpane, especially a thick one.
-
Obsolete. a mattress.
verb (used with object)
-
quilts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
quilted,
past participle, past
-
quilting
present participle
-
to stitch together (two pieces of cloth and a soft interlining), usually in an ornamental pattern.
-
to sew up between pieces of material.
-
to pad or line with material.
verb (used without object)
-
quilts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
quilted,
past participle, past
-
quilting
present participle
noun
-
a thick warm cover for a bed, consisting of a soft filling sewn between two layers of material, usually with crisscross seams
-
a bedspread or counterpane
-
anything quilted or resembling a quilt
verb
-
to stitch together (two pieces of fabric) with (a thick padding or lining) between them
to quilt cotton and wool
-
to create (a garment, covering, etc) in this way
-
to pad with material
-
informal to strike; clout
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
quiltsimple
-
quiltssimple
-
have quiltedperfect
-
has quiltedperfect
-
am quiltingprogressive
-
are quiltingprogressive
-
is quiltingprogressive
-
have been quiltingperfect progressive
-
has been quiltingperfect progressive
Past
-
quiltedsimple
-
had quiltedperfect
-
was quiltingprogressive
-
were quiltingprogressive
-
had been quiltingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quilt
1250–1300; Middle English quilte < Old French cuilte < Latin culcita mattress, cushion
Explanation
A quilt is a thick cover for a bed, made from pieces of fabric that are stitched together and filled with padding. Quilt is also a verb, so you can quilt a quilt. The simplest quilts have two layers of fabric that are sewn on either side of a layer of batting, a thin type of stuffing. Patchwork quilts have small pieces of cotton sewn into patterns, and the fabric is sewn over the batting with stitches that make decorative designs. A quilt was originally the same thing as a mattress, and the word comes from the Latin culcita, "mattress or bolster."
Vocabulary lists containing quilt
This Week In Words: April 26–May 2, 2020
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Road to Freedom
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
You can even see the individual heat-scarred tiles resembling a handmade quilt and marvel at the crew hatch where astronauts entered the flight deck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
Their 11-year-old daughter’s schedule is a crazy quilt of dance classes and competitions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
That first week, we had a TV and a kind of makeshift conversation pit: a quilt, a mattress, some pillows.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
She has also made a quilt, using fabrics which reminded her of her time in prison.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
I hadn't made my bed; the quilt was shoved up against the wall, and the pillow lay on the floor.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
"The sheets I laid, the quilts I covered, and the clothes I wore were all covered with piles of patches," said Xu.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Patriotic 20th-century snapshots; souvenirs from the 1876 centennial; numerous depictions of Washington; flags; eagles and more join quilts, historical documents, paintings, toys and other works from 1776 to the present.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
In the bottom of a chest of quilts were nestled her collection of mugs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
“It’s just me, my notebook and a stack of quilts in my living room,” she said, laughing, pointing to the colorful blankets, many of them with handwritten notes of encouragement attached to the fabric.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2025
Instantly, his mind moved elsewhere, to the holler, to the cabin, to the loft, to the bed with its soft quilts.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
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
He was last seen wearing a quilted green-brown Barbour jacket over a beige woollen jumper, with navy chinos and brown leather trainers with white soles.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
The Sport Prestige’s alpha-swagger is the intricately quilted Nappa leather upholstery, its puzzlework of seams outlined with contrasting piping and double stitching—an orange the company calls “Magma” but you may know better as “DOT Vest.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025
You see, vatnik originally referred to a quilted cotton jacket, the kind worn by Soviet workers, soldiers and prisoners alike.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2025
A sleeping young woman is propped up on silk pillows stuffed with feathers; a quilted blanket laced with thick gold ribbons lies over her.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
For example, quilting has long been a domestically appropriate medium for women to express their political beliefs, well before they had the right to vote.
From Slate ● Jan. 29, 2026
Adorned with shimmering squares of fabric, it echoes quilting traditions while reinventing the traditional women’s work of sewing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
"It wasn’t her family pictures, it wasn't her jewellery, it was her quilting."
From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2024
Many third- and fourth-generation artists returned to quilting as adults for a creative and therapeutic outlet, as well as a tether to their roots.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2024
I snipped a length of quilting thread from the spool.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
