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

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Etymology

Origin of cloth

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

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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

Among the discoveries were multiple lineages of human mitochondrial DNA, suggesting that genetic material from different human populations has accumulated on the cloth.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026

The Senegalese wrestlers entered, draped in traditional "leppi" cloth wraps.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Anthropic software could never have created songs that sound so similar to Presley’s out of whole cloth, the plaintiffs say, and instead relied on ill-gotten data.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

A US government aircraft was waiting at Misrata airport when Al-Marimi arrived with a "loosely fitted cloth hood" over his head.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

A stray cloth, a spoon, a rag doll, and a pink ribbon are scattered, forgotten.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

The witness said they saw saw 50 bodies, many wrapped in ‌mats and traditional cloths, lying in the front of a community mosque ahead of their burial.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Should these symptoms arise, you should call 911, move to a cooler place and try to lower the person’s temperature with a cool bath or cloths.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025

On the first day of the Hajj, male pilgrims were required to change their clothes for two white cloths and enter the state of Ihram.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025

Red and her mother placed cold cloths on Gran’s face and rubbed warm ones on her feet.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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Related Words

• cotton
• goods
• material
• stuff

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