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• tweed
  tweed

  noun

  a coarse wool cloth in a variety of weaves and colors, either hand-spun and handwoven in Scotland or reproduced, often by machine, elsewhere.
• Tweed
  Tweed

  noun

  William Marcy Boss Tweed, 1823–78, U.S. politician.

tweed

¹ American  

[tweed] / twid /

noun

• tweeds
  plural

1. a coarse wool cloth in a variety of weaves and colors, either hand-spun and handwoven in Scotland or reproduced, often by machine, elsewhere.

2. tweeds, garments made of this cloth.

3. a paper having a rough surface, used especially for certain photographic prints.

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Tweed ² American  

[tweed] / twid /

noun

1. William Marcy Boss Tweed, 1823–78, U.S. politician.

2. a river flowing E from S Scotland along part of the NE boundary of England into the North Sea. 97 miles (156 km) long.

3. a male given name.

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tweed ¹ British  

/ twiːd /

noun

1. 1. a thick woollen often knobbly cloth produced originally in Scotland

   2. ( as modifier )

      a tweed coat

2. (plural) clothes made of this cloth, esp a man's or woman's suit

3. informal (plural) trousers

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Tweed ² British  

/ twiːd /

noun

1. a river in SE Scotland and NE England, flowing east and forming part of the border between Scotland and England, then crossing into England to enter the North Sea at Berwick. Length: 156 km (97 miles)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tweeds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tweed

1835–45; apparently back formation from Scots tweedling twilling (now obsolete) < ?

Explanation

Tweed is a kind of speckled fabric made from woven wool. Used for jackets, suits, and coats, tweed is a rough, sturdy material. Tweed was originally tweel, the Scots word for twill, a diagonally-patterned textile weave. In the 1830's the word was misread by a fabric merchant who assumed it came from the Scottish River Tweed, and the name stuck. Woven on looms, rough wool is transformed into tweed's tidy patterns, like herringbone and houndstooth. Most tweed is still made in Scotland for garments including suit jackets, skirts, and trousers, as well as blankets and scarves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tweed Tweed tweeds

As Champagne must come from its designated region in France, Harris tweed can only be made in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides islands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

Boxy tweed boucle jackets with fringed trims and structured brightly coloured handbags were the order of day, with various materials including lace also on display.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

"I wanted to see whether, when you strip away the usual Chanel signatures - the tweed, the jewelled buttons - you can still get to that essence," he told WWD.

From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026

Another is Harris tweed, the manufacturer of a fabric handwoven in the Outer Hebrides, which has risen from near death and now employs hundreds, selling its products all over the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025

Over his uniform he pulls on some of Etienne’s tweed trousers, along with a shirt whose sleeves are too long.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Jamie Stewart, from the River Tweed Commission, said: "Wild Atlantic salmon are already facing unprecedented pressures from climate change, habitat loss and poor marine survival."

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

He purchased it for $10.5 million in 2021 to use as a California home base after he and his wife, Shannon Tweed Simmons, moved to Las Vegas.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026

Tweed offers legal advice in terms of what statement could be released.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026

Activist groups staged protests for months near places where it provides service, including Tweed New Haven Airport in Connecticut.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

Reverend Tweed was about to be on the receiving end of a sermon.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

On the Scottish island of Harris, the setting for this novel, expensive tweeds are a costly commodity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026

With stars from Nicole Kidman to Dua Lipa looking on, the first outfits made abundant use of sheer silk muslin alongside Chanel tweeds before the arrival of more whimsical, avian-inspired styles.

From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026

Perhaps wisely, Blazy didn't stray too far from Chanel's classic look with his first collection, which was marked by stylish tweaks to the fashion giant's blouses, suits and tweeds.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2025

Tuesday’s assembly of tweeds, silk chiffons, organza and inlaid lace, in a myriad of floral and graphic motifs, was a testament to Viard’s vision of this rich and feminine universe.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 4, 2023

I had a picture of Mrs. Willard, with her heather-mixture tweeds and her sensible shoes and her wise, maternal maxims.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

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