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

“His fingerprints are everywhere in this industry. His impact extends far beyond the performances we see on screen — it’s woven into the very fabric of Hollywood.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The zippered pocket in the bandanna holds up to 2 pounds of ice that drips out through tiny holes in the neoprene fabric as it melts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

For now, the humble paper check remains too deeply woven into the fabric of American life to truly rest in peace — even if writing one means playing a riskier game with swindlers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Ohio has offered a piece of fabric from the wings of the airplane built by Wilbur and Orville Wright, the pioneers who made aviation history in 1903 with the first powered, sustained flight.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

When the morning light brightens the fabric of my comforter, I get up to use the bathroom.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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

Some are opting for oversize silhouettes, gym-ready fabrics and athleisure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

But so do bursts of color, softer fabrics and strange patterns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026

Synthetic fabrics like polyester can shed microplastic fibres when they are washed.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Although we are warned that some of these will dissolve varnish, paint, and synthetic fabrics, we are presumably to infer that the human skin is impervious to chemicals.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• fiber
• goods
• textile
• texture