fibre

American  

[fahy-ber] / ˈfaɪ bər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a variant of fiber.

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fibre British  

/ ˈfaɪbə /

noun

1. a natural or synthetic filament that may be spun into yarn, such as cotton or nylon

2. cloth or other material made from such yarn

3. a long fine continuous thread or filament

4. the structure of any material or substance made of or as if of fibres; texture

5. essential substance or nature

   all the fibres of his being were stirred

6. strength of character (esp in the phrase moral fibre )

7. See dietary fibre

8. botany

   1. a narrow elongated thick-walled cell: a constituent of sclerenchyma tissue

   2. such tissue extracted from flax, hemp, etc, used to make linen, rope, etc

   3. a very small root or twig

9. anatomy any thread-shaped structure, such as a nerve fibre

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Other Word Forms

• fibred
  adjective
• fibreless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fibre

C14: from Latin fibra filament, entrails

Example Sentences

Observations show the people use narrow outrigger canoes, live in large communal huts, carry spears, bows and arrows, and wear fibre waistbelts, as well as necklaces and headbands.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

“We see increasing likelihood that BT guides to a higher mid-term dividend payout as fibre build completes and pension payments mature.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

The work will also connect with the SAFAtor project, which is exploring how optic fibre cables can be used to improve early warning systems for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

From Science Daily • Mar. 15, 2026

Catering for this typically means two high-capacity fibre connections into and out of the stadium.

From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026

The breath coming out of the nostrils was so faint it stirred only the furthest fringes of life, a small leaf, a black feather, a single fibre of hair.

From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury