drop cloth

American  

Or dropcloth

noun

1. a sheet of cloth, paper, plastic, or the like laid over furniture and floors for protection while a room is being painted or laid over shrubbery while the exterior of a house is being painted.

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Etymology

Origin of drop cloth

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

She says, “I cut the drop cloth into two panels, dyed them with fabric dye and then sewed them together.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

Every night, he would roll up the drop cloth, vacuum and take a shower.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 20, 2021

The bags contained a cover for a bow saw, a receipt from a local hardware store, a drop cloth and a newspaper with the delivery address of an apartment house in Galveston.

From New York Times • Mar. 3, 2020

She’s also found that the mats work well as a drop cloth under a baby’s high chair and, in a pinch, as a compact bath mat.

From Slate • Jan. 4, 2019

He walked in, straightened the drop cloth in the front hall, and made his way to the back of the house.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers