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• arts and crafts
  arts and crafts

  noun

  the handcrafting and decoration of especially utilitarian objects.
• Arts and Crafts
  Arts and Crafts

  plural noun

  decorative handicraft and design, esp that of the Arts and Crafts movement , in late nineteenth-century Britain, which sought to revive medieval craftsmanship

arts and crafts

American  

noun

1. the handcrafting and decoration of especially utilitarian objects.

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Arts and Crafts British  

plural noun

1. decorative handicraft and design, esp that of the Arts and Crafts movement , in late nineteenth-century Britain, which sought to revive medieval craftsmanship

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Etymology

Origin of arts and crafts

First recorded in 1885–90

Compare meaning

How does arts-and-crafts compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• arts and crafts vs. craftsman

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arts and crafts Arts and Crafts

PCE is widely used in dry cleaning and can also be found in consumer products including arts and crafts adhesives, spot removers and stainless steel polish.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

What I receive most years are socks that say “#1 Dad,” last-minute arts and crafts, and the occasional grill gadget—a catalog essentially unchanged since 1965.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

"Reminder: HOV occupants need to be actual people, not your arts and crafts project," California Highway Patrol in Haywood posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

She said Zarwa took part in arts and crafts, made snowflakes and had a visit from Santa.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2025

For her own good: round-the-clock care; nice grounds; arts and crafts classes; tennis courts; a friendly, unintimidating staff, no one in a uniform.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Molesworth—who was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, attended the Art Institute of Chicago and brought the cowboy into the living room—was the Frank Lloyd Wright of his field, as someone says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

In addition to the Arts and Crafts movement, tile artists began producing a wide variety of works inspired by traditional Mexican and Indigenous designs, as well as European styles like Delft.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025

The timber façade was installed by her grandfather, WG Innes, in 1927 in tribute to his love of the Arts and Crafts movement.

From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2023

An investigation started in 2018, when the Indian Arts and Crafts Board received a complaint about Rath, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 29, 2023

In history we learned about the Arts and Crafts movement, and there were all these ideas I liked.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour