a twilled worsted or woolen fabric used especially for clothing.
cotton, rayon, or silk in a twill weave.
a twill-weave woollen or worsted fabric used for clothing
a similar twilled cotton, silk, or rayon fabric
1350–1400; < French; replacing Middle English sarge < Middle French < Vulgar Latin *sārica, for Latin sērica ( lāna ) Chinese (wool), i.e., silk; see seric-
Perhaps to be identified with serge 1, though sense shift is unclear
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A Negro man in old-fashioned brogues and serge britches walked out of the light.
From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2020
“Many of the long-stay male patients were poorly attired; the fronts of their thick serge shirts were heavily stained with food and there was a dearth of ties,” they wrote.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 25, 2019
Mina Van Winkle — the socialite social worker once known for her blue serge suit, white kid gloves, veil and “a faint hint of perfume” — died in 1933 at age 57.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 19, 2016
The man spots a Model-T pulling up and a young stranger getting out, dressed in a blue serge suit.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2012
For the girls, it was dotted Swiss and matching hair ribbons and sashes; for the boys, blue serge suits and Buster Brown collars, with red, generous bow ties.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
The show starred some of the most iconic post-war ballet dancers — Serge Golovine, Rosella Hightower, Jacqueline Moreau — but Vérots didn’t focus on them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Serge Letchimy, an official from Martinique, in an open letter to Macron earlier this month also demanded reparations.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
Those include an American missionary doctor, Peter Stafford, who contracted the disease while treating patients at Bunia’s Nyankunde Hospital, according to Serge, the international Christian organization that employed him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
The doctor, his wife and another colleague had been treating patients when the outbreak started, Serge, the Christian missionary group they were working for, has said.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Three copies of this extract from the diary were kept by Marie Nikolaevna Obolenskii, V. G. Chertkov, and Serge Tolstoy.
From Autobiography of Countess Tolstoy by Tolstoy, Sophie Andreevna
Buttonholes should be overcasted or serged as soon as cut, with fine thread or silk, the stitches should be light, loose and even, this is done with a slanting stitch.
From The Copeland Method A Complete Manual for Cleaning, Repairing, Altering and Pressing All Kinds of Garments for Men and Women, at Home or for Busines by Copeland, Vanness
This method takes the place of serging or overcasting and is much better for thin ravelly goods.
From The Copeland Method A Complete Manual for Cleaning, Repairing, Altering and Pressing All Kinds of Garments for Men and Women, at Home or for Busines by Copeland, Vanness
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.
