fabric
Americannoun
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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
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.
Few ideas in modern science have reshaped our understanding of reality more profoundly than space-time — the interwoven fabric of space and time at the heart of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity.
From Science Daily • Jun. 8, 2026
Clothing to make you look sharp—not schlubby—in the unofficial fabric of the season.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Ruiz avoided going to the store, where an official jersey made of special anti-perspiration fabric costs nearly $200.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
The show notes pointed to “the dancer’s wardrobe” as inspiration, embracing how fabric can have a mind of its own — gathering, draping, cascading.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Confused humans scratched their heads and could do nothing but watch as a mysterious branch with a piece of red-and-black fabric that looked remarkably like the pillowcases from the inn waved in the air.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
