chambray

American

[sham-brey] / ˈʃæm breɪ /

noun

a fine cloth of cotton, silk, or linen, commonly of plain weave with a colored warp and white weft.

chambray British

/ ˈʃæmbreɪ /

noun

a smooth light fabric of cotton, linen, etc, with white weft and a coloured warp

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chambray

1805–15, variant of cambric

Vocabulary lists containing chambray

National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 3

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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.

Yes, you got a deep, dark chocolatey shmear across your favorite chambray shirt, but don't reach immediately for the bleach.

From Salon • Mar. 8, 2021

The company recently added new models made of chambray, after a retailer asked for lighter-weight versions for the summer.

From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2020

As waiters in chambray shirts ferried carafes of wine, Ms. Jones said she had worked to make the party more diverse.

From New York Times • Feb. 10, 2020

It said: “Letterpress freegan twee quinoa. Messenger bag chambray, next level hot chicken. Vinegar street art biodiesel before they sold out. Fashion axe beard salvia gastropub, unicorn trust fund readymade waistcoat.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2019

Waistcoats, striped trousers, moth-chewed chambray shirts with tall collars and comically long sleeves.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023