fabric

American  

[fab-rik] / ˈfæb rɪk /

noun

• fabrics
  plural

1. a cloth made by weaving, knitting, or felting fibers.

   woolen fabrics.

2. the texture of the woven, knitted, or felted material.

   cloth of a soft, pliant fabric.

3. framework; structure.

   the fabric of society.

4. a building; edifice.

5. the method of construction.

6. the act of constructing, especially of a church building.

7. the maintenance of such a building.

8. Petrography. the spatial arrangement and orientation of the constituents of a rock.

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fabric British  

/ ˈfæbrɪk /

noun

1. any cloth made from yarn or fibres by weaving, knitting, felting, etc

2. the texture of a cloth

3. a structure or framework

   the fabric of society

4. a style or method of construction

5. rare a building

6. the texture, arrangement, and orientation of the constituents of a rock

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fabrics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fabric

1475–85; (< Middle French fabrique ) < Latin fabrica craft, especially metalworking or building, workshop. See forge ¹

Explanation

Fabric is what something is made from, especially clothing. Silk is a common fabric, but you can also talk about "the fabric of society." The most common use of fabric is for clothes: for example, denim is the fabric used to make jeans. All clothes are made of some type or combination of fabrics. The basic structure of a building or a vehicle can also be called fabric, and non-physical things can be represented as fabric too. Metaphorically, you could say honesty is part of the fabric of friendship, or love is part of the fabric of family. Fabric is always the foundation or essence of something.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fabric fabrics

These videos depict a fun-loving land that welcomes foreigners and embraces friends at 250 years old despite all the advertised assaults on its social fabric.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026

Sorcinelli, aided by 11 seamstresses, displayed the green silk forming the basis of Leo's vestment for Rimini, rolling out the sumptuous fabric onto a long table.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

It's a short journey from Zhu's home in Guangzhou on China's southern coast to the crowded street in Hong Kong's Sham Shui Po district, where Hunter is sandwiched between fabric sellers, garages and trendy cafes.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

A collaged print by Liu Shiyuan presents a dizzying array of images—fruit, bees, jellyfish, shrouded figures, fabric samples—that is more disorienting than anything else.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Ben says most books have mainstream society’s misguided ideas about how a life should be lived written right into the fabric of their stories.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

I would make a yard of fabric stretch and add cheaper fabrics to it and make it patchwork.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

She said some designers are now innovating fabrics with zinc oxide to make the material feel cooler to the touch.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Avoid heavy bedding, thick duvets and tight synthetic fabrics that trap heat and moisture.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

In a separate interview with fashion website WWD, Pavlovsky denied any plans to expand Charvet beyond its single Paris store, where customers can pick from around 6,000 fabrics.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

Two days later, when we were supposed to be picking out fabrics to dye, I was looking through a stack of dog books on her kitchen table.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

Related Words

• fiber
• goods
• textile
• texture