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

At one point, the mayor even compared street taco vendors to homeless encampments, with both supposedly disrupting the fabric of a well-run city.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Wrexham's new home shirt pays tribute to their stadium, the Racecourse Ground, with a pattern reflecting the old Kop's barriers embossed into the weave of the fabric.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

The action tears through the estate’s lavish rooms, turning paintings, candelabras and fabric into improvised weapons before ending with a splash in the pool.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

But they are woven into the broader fabric of the film to mostly engaging effect.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

I run my fingers across the silky fabric, careful not to wrinkle it again.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

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

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

Such fabrics are hydrophobic, or water hating, similar to grease and oils.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

In New York, of course, the papers stated that society had never been so gay; that the sale of jewels and fine fabrics and sundry baubles of high fashion had never been so great.

From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

Related Words

• fiber
• goods
• textile
• texture