brocade
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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brocades,
present (3rd person singular)
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brocaded,
past participle, past
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brocading
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
brocadesimple
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brocadessimple
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have brocadedperfect
-
has brocadedperfect
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am brocadingprogressive
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are brocadingprogressive
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is brocadingprogressive
-
have been brocadingperfect progressive
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has been brocadingperfect progressive
Past
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brocadedsimple
-
had brocadedperfect
-
was brocadingprogressive
-
were brocadingprogressive
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had been brocadingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of brocade
1555–65; earlier brocado < Spanish < Italian broccato embossed (fabric), past participle of broccare, derivative of brocco twisted thread, shoot < Late Latin; see broach
Explanation
Brocade is a thick, weighty, fancy material with a raised pattern. You might see an opera singer wearing a dress made of brocade fabric, or you might see it used to create ornate silk cushions. Brocade comes from the Italian word brocco, meaning "twisted thread." Brocade fabric has a rich, ornate slightly old-fashioned feel to it. You might hear the word brocade used to describe the curtains in the homes of wealthy old women who may or may not have bodies or other horrible secrets in the unused upstairs rooms. Brocade can also be a verb that describes the action of weaving a design into fabric.
Vocabulary lists containing brocade
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
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"Love's Vocabulary," Vocabulary from the essay
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Pygmalion
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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:
The collection also featured brocade capes, puffer jackets and long wool coats with oversized fur cuffs.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
Vestments made of intricate floral brocade in 1741, given by Louis XV, enrich the walls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
Best known for his use of lotus and peacock motifs, Bal used rich fabrics like velvet and brocade - his designs were elaborate, inspired by Indian grandeur and royalty.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2024
That brocade floral jacket with the giant, giant shoulder pads and the high collar and the brooch.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2023
She was wearing an elaborate gown of silk and brocade, so heavy that it felt like armor.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
From rich woven silks, patterned brocades and intricate chintz to a range of less talked-about textiles, India's contribution to the global textile industry is unique.
From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2025
She found jewel-tone caftans, perky Lilly Pulitzer prints and metallic brocades, all adorned with a treasure chest of bold accessories.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
The jacquards and brocades within the Max Mara camel colored universe “give you a kind of swashbuckling cavalier feel,” the designer said.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2023
With golden brocades and rich navys, this is a swinging, stylish time.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2022
The armchairs and the lumpy sofa were upholstered in dusty brocades, threadbare at the arms: rose patterns on tan, acorns and oak leaves on mossy green.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
The city, once dense with energy, creativity and industry — and Venetians — is now largely abandoned by residents, becoming a floating and brocaded theme park.
From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2023
Gray stains tarnished Darío’s brocaded waistcoat, and a long, staggered crack ran along his head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
Sets of ornate china dishes and brocaded chairs, which may have graced the parlors of long-gone bureaucrats or traders, are arranged on sidewalks alongside rusty fans and cooking pots, relinquished by poor families for pennies.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 2, 2021
The entire cast could behave as cold and stiffly as corpses, and as long as we're also wheeled through brocaded beauty and inspired grotesquery, this follow-up will have done its job.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2020
She flung open the drawers of the bureau and the door of the closet, filled with saris of every imaginable texture and shade, brocaded with gold and silver threads.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
"Royal India" may be the longest shadow of the imperial sunset, but the techniques this show celebrates--like tie-dying, brocading, hand embroidering and intricate weaving--are still practiced.
From Time Magazine Archive
The great Camellia trees gave lavishly of their waxen flowers, brocading the snow in crimson.
From The House of the Misty Star A Romance of Youth and Hope and Love in Old Japan by Frances Little
Tusser-silk, tus′ėr-silk, n. a kind of dark fawn-coloured silk, generally made without brocading or patterns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
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.
