Definition

Noun: 1. A flexible material made by weaving, knitting, or felting fibers: Cloth is a manufactured material, typically from natural fibers like cotton or wool, or synthetic ones like polyester, used for making items such as clothing, curtains, or towels. 2. A piece of this material used for a specific purpose: A cloth can refer to a distinct piece of fabric, often used for cleaning, covering, or polishing (e.g., a tablecloth, a dishcloth).

Examples of Usage

Advanced Usage

• The cloth: This phrase can refer to the clergy or the profession of being a member of a religious order.
  • He was a man of the cloth before becoming a writer.

Variants and Related Words

• Cloths (n., plural): The plural form specifically refers to multiple pieces of fabric (e.g., cleaning cloths, tablecloths).
• Clothe (v.): To provide or dress someone with garments.
• Clothing (n.): Garments collectively; clothes.
• Cloth-bound (adj.): Describes a book with a stiff cloth cover.

Synonyms

• Fabric: The most direct synonym, emphasizing the material itself.
• Material: A general term for substance from which things are made; often used interchangeably with 'fabric'.
• Textile: A more technical term for any type of woven or knitted cloth.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To cut one's coat according to one's cloth: To live within one's means; to adapt one's ambitions or expenses to the resources available.
  • With the budget cuts, we'll have to cut our coat according to our cloth.
• Out of the whole cloth / From whole cloth: (Chiefly US) Completely fabricated or invented; untrue.
  • His alibi was manufactured out of whole cloth.
• Of the same cloth: Sharing similar characteristics or nature.
  • The two politicians are cut from the same cloth.

Noun

1. artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
   • the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent
   • woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC
   • she measured off enough material for a dress