cloth

[ klawth, kloth ]

/ klɔθ, klɒθ /

Save This Word!

noun, plural cloths

[klawthz, klothz, klawths, kloths]. /klɔðz, klɒðz, klɔθs, klɒθs/.

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

a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose: an altar cloth.

the particular attire of any profession, especially that of the clergy.Compare man of the cloth.

the cloth, the clergy: men of the cloth.

Nautical.

one of the lengths of canvas or duck of standard width sewn side by side to form a sail, awning, or tarpaulin.
any of various pieces of canvas or duck for reinforcing certain areas of a sail.
a number of sails taken as a whole.

Obsolete. a garment; clothing.

adjective

of or made of cloth: She wore a cloth coat trimmed with fur.

clothbound.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cloth

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cloth

clothlike, adjectiveun·der·cloth, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cloth

cloth , clothe, clothes

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cloth in a sentence

Mini Boden Large Muslin Swaddling Cloths, $40 at Nordstrom 8.
The Daily Beast's 2013 Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide|The Daily Beast|November 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We set to our task with a deliberate gentleness, dabbing with cloths, cotton, swabs.
Inside a Home Funeral|Melissa Roberts Weidman|February 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Dish cloths are rough enough to scrub your cutting board well.
The Dirty Truth About Cutting Boards|Chad Ward|September 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The women had on long dresses made of orange, black, and green African Kente cloths with matching headdresses.
Red, White, and Muslim|Asma Gull Hasan|February 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST

I can recommend strollers, changing tables, potties, burp cloths.
When Did "Married Without Children" Become Gauche?|Rachel Shukert|November 15, 2008|DAILY BEAST
The Malays wore long cloths wound round their bodies, with one end hanging over their shoulder.
A Woman's Journey Round the World|Ida Pfeiffer
Then she wet cloths in the cool water of the brook and laid them across her little sister's hot forehead.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
Jess agreed, and together the two older children kept changing the cool cloths on Violet's aching head.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner
The table-cloths and napkins were of cotton diaper, and there was a good deal of plate used, but not displayed.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
He gone my brother Tom comes, with whom I made even with my father and the two drapers for the cloths I sent to sea lately.
Diary of Samuel Pepys, Complete|Samuel Pepys

British Dictionary definitions for cloth

cloth

/ (klɒθ) /

noun plural cloths (klɒθs, klɒðz)

a fabric formed by weaving, felting or knitting wool, cotton, etc
(as modifier)a cloth bag

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

the cloth

the clothes worn by a clergyman
the clergy

obsolete clothing

nautical any of the panels of a sail

mainly British a piece of coloured fabric, used on the stage as scenery

Western African a garment in a traditional non-European style

Word Origin for cloth

Old English clāth; related to Old Frisian klēth, Middle High German kleit cloth, clothing

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with cloth

cloth

see out of whole cloth; sackcloth and ashes.

cloth

Origin of cloth

OTHER WORDS FROM cloth

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cloth

Words related to cloth

How to use cloth in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cloth

Word Origin for cloth

Other Idioms and Phrases with cloth