cloth

American  

[klawth, kloth] / klɔθ, klɒθ /

noun

• cloths
  plural

1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting, etc., from wool, hair, silk, flax, cotton, or other fiber, used for garments, upholstery, and many other items.

2. a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose.

   an altar cloth.

3. the particular attire of any profession, especially that of the clergy.

4. the cloth, the clergy.

   men of the cloth.

5. Nautical.

   1. one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.

   2. any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.

   3. a number of sails taken as a whole.

6. Obsolete. a garment; clothing.

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adjective

1. of or made of cloth.

   She wore a cloth coat trimmed with fur.

2. clothbound.

cloth British  

/ klɒθ /

noun

1. 1. a fabric formed by weaving, felting or knitting wool, cotton, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cloth bag

2. a piece of such fabric used for a particular purpose, as for a dishcloth

3. 1. the clothes worn by a clergyman

   2. the clergy

4. obsolete clothing

5. nautical any of the panels of a sail

6. a piece of coloured fabric, used on the stage as scenery

7. a garment in a traditional non-European style

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cloth Idioms  

1. see out of whole cloth; sackcloth and ashes.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• undercloth
  noun
• clothlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cloths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cloth

before 900; Middle English cloth, clath cloth, garment, Old English clāth; cognate with Dutch kleed, German Kleid

Explanation

Cloth is fabric, a woven material. When you sew your own clothes, you start with a piece of cloth. Cloth is made from some sort of fiber, often cotton or wool, or a synthetic like rayon or polyester. Your clothing is made from cloth, as are the curtains in your house, your favorite tote bag, and the table cloth in your kitchen. The Old English root is claþ, which means "cloth or sail," but also "woven material to wrap around oneself," or "garment."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cloth cloths

LONDON—The Bayeux Tapestry, Britain’s most hallowed piece of cloth, is back in England for the first time in about 1,000 years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

New agencies were created out of whole cloth to fight the supposed invasion of enemies who didn’t bother to wear uniforms.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Kitson puts the designs onto mural cloth before sealing them to walls with adhesive.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

Footage published on Citizen showed what appeared to be a body covered by a white cloth lying by the lake near some yellow caution tape strung between a railing and a palm tree.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

I try to steady my voice, hiding my sheet-white face by scraping a cloth over it.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Milkmen fought back in various ways, putting stones atop the lids and draping cloths over them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Donations can include new and unopened toiletries, like shampoo and toothpaste, as well as other cleaning products including washing up liquid, sponges, cloths and tissues.

From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026

The core was slowly pulled from the ice sheet using a drill machinery and scientists carefully carefully cleaned the ice using cloths.

From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2025

A thrifted sofa, drop cloths, a Magic 8 Ball — Mary Kenny’s apartment in L.A. is a stylish retreat that didn’t break the bank.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2024

Yet my eye could not decipher those vendors: they wrapped their heads in bright-colored cloths as cheerful as a party, but faced the world with permanent vile frowns.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

Related Words

• cotton
• goods
• material
• stuff