any of a class of thermoplastic polyamides capable of extrusion when molten into fibers, sheets, etc., of extreme toughness, strength, and elasticity, synthesized by the interaction of a dicarboxylic acid with a diamine: used especially for yarn, fabrics, and bristles, as for brushes.
nylons, stockings made of nylon, especially sheer, full-length ones for women.
a class of synthetic polyamide materials made by copolymerizing dicarboxylic acids with diamines. They can be moulded into a variety of articles, such as combs and machine parts. Nylon monofilaments are used for bristles, etc, and nylon fibres can be spun into yarn
yarn or cloth made of nylon, used for clothing, stockings, etc
( as modifier ) See also nylons
a nylon dress
1938; coined as a generic by the du Pont Chemical Co. as distinct from known words and having no prior meaning or use, but with the suffix -on suggesting other textile fibers such as rayon
Nylon is a fabric that's woven from man-made fibers. The great thing about your polka dotted nylon shirt is that you can throw it in the in wash instead of getting it dry cleaned. Many clothes are made from nylon, as opposed to natural fibers like cotton, silk. Women's stockings are sometimes called nylons, but they were usually made from silk before the twentieth century invention of the cheaper and more durable nylon. Because nylon is a kind of sturdy woven plastic, it's also used to make things like car parts, food packaging, and the strings of instruments. Nylon, modeled on words like "cotton" and "rayon," is a completely made-up word, with no real roots.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Recycling textiles can be particularly tricky because a lot of clothing is made from a blend of materials from polyester—which is derived from oil—to cotton, rayon and nylon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The outer layer, a removable windbreaker made of nylon and vinyl, is embedded with LED lights suitable for dark environments.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Doreen couldn’t wait for the end of rationing, especially for the day when nylon stockings would be available in England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The shops are hard to distinguish among the piles of nylon, polyester and silk, but each owner and seller had a similar story.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
It was a dusty minicab, whose rear seat was covered in nylon fur with a zebra pattern.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Alyson Zetta Williams is an L.A.-based writer whose work has appeared in i-D, NYLON, Rookie Mag and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2024
Alyson Zetta Williams is an L.A.-based writer whose work has appeared in i-D, NYLON, Office Magazine, Rookie Mag and more.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
He sold Amway nylons to FBI secretaries while other agents sneered.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025
In clothing, auxetic nylons, fibers and other synthetic materials could prove more comfortable than traditional materials.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
“Part of survival, part of how we thrive and make politics, is that possibility of self-fashioning, of beauty, of pleasure, of nylons or the click of your heels,” she said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2022
These plastics and nylons also can't be reused or recycled and aren't biodegradable, meaning they'll likely stick around in a landfill somewhere for an infinite amount of time, too.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2021
And one day, when my mother’s in a good mood, maybe after my next birthday, I’m going to ask to buy the nylons too.
From "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
