tulle
noun
a thin, fine, machine-made net of acetate, nylon, rayon, or silk.
tulle
1 American
[tool, ty l]
/ tul, tül /
noun
Tulle
2
American
[tool, ty l]
/ tul, tül /
noun
tulle
British
/ tjuːl /
noun
Etymology
Origin of tulle
1810–20; < French, after Tulle, France, where first made
Explanation
Tulle is a type of fabric that's a stiff, fine netting and is often used to make gowns and wedding veils. Any dress for a formal occasion — a wedding, a bat mitzvah, a quinceañera — might have a tulle skirt. Tulle is most often made of manmade fibers like polyester or nylon, but it can also be made from silk. It comes in just about every color, and it's commonly used in wedding dresses and ballet tutus. The word tulle comes from the name of the French town where the fabric was originally made in 1817, Tulle.
Vocabulary lists containing tulle
On Trend: Fashionable Words
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The Distance Between Us
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Vocabulary from poems by Emily Dickinson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For dressmakers and tailors called in for late adjustments, that makes their work on the lace, silk and tulle a high-stakes race.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
And here, each frame is a sumptuous feast of texture, light and color — like a swath of sweat-drenched tulle cast out onto the wind and into the fog.
From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026
Lady Gaga embraced her "Mayhem" era, rocking a high-necked sleeveless black feather gown from Matieres Fecales that trailed behind her in wisps of tulle.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
The Bryants aren’t the only ones smiling by the time the last strips of white and purple tulle are wrapped around the mummy and the giant warty witch is securely tied against a tree.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025
There are lush pink peonies, their petals delicately ruffled, like the folds of a tulle tutu.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
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.
