cloth

C0418600 (klôth, klŏth)n. pl. cloths (klôths, klôthz, klŏths, klŏthz) 1. Fabric or material formed by weaving, knitting, pressing, or felting natural or synthetic fibers.2. A piece of fabric or material used for a specific purpose, as a tablecloth.3. Nautical a. Canvas.b. A sail.4. The characteristic attire of a profession, especially that of the clergy.5. The clergy: a man of the cloth.Idiom: in cloth With a clothbound binding; as a clothbound book.

[Middle English, from Old English clāth.]

cloth

(klɒθ) n, pl cloths (klɒθs; klɒðz) 1. (Textiles) a. a fabric formed by weaving, felting, or knitting wool, cotton, etcb. (as modifier): a cloth bag. 2. (Textiles) a piece of such fabric used for a particular purpose, as for a dishcloth3. (Ecclesiastical Terms) the cloth a. the clothes worn by a clergymanb. the clergy4. (Clothing & Fashion) obsolete clothing5. (Nautical Terms) nautical any of the panels of a sail6. (Theatre) chiefly Brit a piece of coloured fabric, used on the stage as scenery7. (Clothing & Fashion) W African a garment in a traditional non-European style[Old English clāth; related to Old Frisian klēth, Middle High German kleit cloth, clothing]

cloth

(klɔθ, klɒθ)

n., pl. cloths (klôtz, klotz, klôths, kloths),
adj. n. 1. a fabric made by weaving, felting, or knitting from wool, silk, cotton, flax, nylon, polyester, etc.: used for garments, upholstery, etc. 2. a piece of such a fabric for a particular purpose: an altar cloth. 3. the particular attire of any profession, esp. that of the clergy. 4. the cloth, the clergy: men of the cloth. adj. 5. of or made of cloth. 6. clothbound. [before 900; Middle English cloth, clath cloth, garment, Old English clāth, c. Old Frisian klāth, klēth, Middle Dutch kleet, Middle High German kleit] cloth′like`, adj.

clothes

clothing">clothing cloth1. 'clothes'

Clothes /kləʊðz/ are things you wear, such as shirts, trousers, dresses, and coats.

I took off all my clothes.

Be Careful!
There is no singular form of clothes. In formal English, you can talk about a garment, a piece of clothing, or an article of clothing, but in ordinary conversation, you usually name the piece of clothing you are talking about.

2. 'clothing'

Clothing /'kləʊðɪŋ/ is the clothes people wear. You often use clothing to talk about particular types of clothes, for example winter clothing or warm clothing. Clothing is an uncountable noun. Don't talk about 'clothings' or 'a clothing'.

Wear protective clothing.Some locals offered food and clothing to the refugees.3. 'cloth'

Cloth /klɒθ/ is fabric such as wool or cotton that is used for making such things as clothes.

I cut up strips of cotton cloth.The women wove cloth for a living.

When cloth is used like this, it is an uncountable noun.

A cloth is a piece of fabric used for cleaning or dusting. The plural form of cloth is cloths, not 'clothes'.

Clean with a soft cloth dipped in warm soapy water.Don't leave damp cloths in a cupboard.

cloth

A piece of canvas scenery suspended from above: a backcloth at the rear of the stage, or a cloth with shapes cut from it so that the audience can see beyond.

Thesaurus

Noun

cloth - 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"fabric, textile, materialartefact, artifact - a man-made object taken as a wholeaba - a fabric woven from goat hair and camel hairacrylic - a synthetic fabricAertex - a trademark for a loosely woven cotton fabric that is used to make shirts and underwearalpaca - a thin glossy fabric made of the wool of the Lama pacos, or made of a rayon or cotton imitation of that woolbaize - a bright green fabric napped to resemble felt; used to cover gaming tablesbasket weave - a cloth woven of two or more threads interlaced to suggest the weave of a basketbatik - a dyed fabric; a removable wax is used where the dye is not wantedbatiste - a thin plain-weave cotton or linen fabric; used for shirts or dressesbelting - the material of which belts are madebombazine - a twilled fabric used for dresses; the warp is silk and the weft is worsted; "black bombazine is frequently used for mourning garments"boucle - a fabric of uneven yarn that has an uneven knobby effectbroadcloth - a closely woven silk or synthetic fabric with a narrow crosswise ribbroadcloth - a densely textured woolen fabric with a lustrous finishbrocade - thick heavy expensive material with a raised patternbuckram - a coarse cotton fabric stiffened with glue; used in bookbinding and to stiffen clothingbunting - a loosely woven fabric used for flags, etc.calico - coarse cloth with a bright printcambric - a finely woven white linencamelhair, camel's hair - a soft tan cloth made with the hair of a camelcamlet - a fabric of Asian origin; originally made of silk and camel's haircamo, camouflage - fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan; intended to make the wearer of a garment made of this fabric hard to distinguish from the backgroundcanopy - the umbrellalike part of a parachute that fills with aircanvas, canvass - a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)cashmere - a soft fabric made from the wool of the Cashmere goatcerecloth - a waterproof waxed cloth once used as a shroudchallis - a soft lightweight fabric (usually printed)chambray - a lightweight fabric woven with white threads across a colored warpchenille - a heavy fabric woven with chenille cord; used in rugs and bedspreadschiffon - a sheer fabric of silk or rayonchino - a coarse twilled cotton fabric frequently used for uniformschintz - a brightly printed and glazed cotton fabriccoating - a heavy fabric suitable for coatscobweb - a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spidercorduroy, cord - a cut pile fabric with vertical ribs; usually made of cottoncotton - fabric woven from cotton fibersCanton flannel, cotton flannel - a stout cotton fabric with nap on only one sidecrape, crepe - a soft thin light fabric with a crinkled surfacecretonne - an unglazed heavy fabric; brightly printed; used for slipcovers and draperiescrinoline - a stiff coarse fabric used to stiffen hats or clothingdamask - a fabric of linen or cotton or silk or wool with a reversible pattern woven into itdungaree, jean, denim - a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabricdiamante - fabric covered with glittering ornaments such as sequins or rhinestonesdiaper - a fabric (usually cotton or linen) with a distinctive woven pattern of small repeated figuresdimity - a strong cotton fabric with a raised pattern; used for bedcovers and curtainsdoeskin - a fine smooth soft woolen fabricdrapery - cloth gracefully draped and arranged in loose foldsduck - a heavy cotton fabric of plain weave; used for clothing and tentsduffel, duffle - a coarse heavy woolen fabricedging - border consisting of anything placed on the edge to finish something (such as a fringe on clothing or on a rug)elastic - a fabric made of yarns containing an elastic materialetamin, etamine - a soft cotton or worsted fabric with an open mesh; used for curtains or clothing etc.faille - a ribbed woven fabric of silk or rayon or cottonfelt - a fabric made of compressed matted animal fibersvulcanized fiber, fibre, fiber - a leatherlike material made by compressing layers of paper or clothflannel - a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothingflannelette - a cotton fabric imitating flannelfleece - a soft bulky fabric with deep pile; used chiefly for clothingfoulard - a light plain-weave or twill-weave silk or silklike fabric (usually with a printed design)

cloth

noun fabric, material, textiles, dry goods, stuff She covered the tray with a piece of cloth.

Translations

布抹布

cloth

(kloθ) – plural cloths (kloθs (American) klo:ðz) – noun (a piece of) woven material from which clothes and many other items are made. a tablecloth; a face-cloth; a floor-cloth; Woollen cloth is often more expensive than other cloths.布

cloth

→ 布zhCN, 抹布zhCN

cloth

back-cloth star

An actor or performer who takes the focus of the audience away from the other actors on stage by positioning him- or herself in such a way that the other actors' backs are to the audience. Everyone said after the show that his performance was riveting, but to be honest, I think he's just a back-cloth star. He made it so he was the only one we could ever see!See also: star

cut out of whole cloth

Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds cut out of whole cloth to me.See also: cloth, cut, of, out, whole

made out of whole cloth

Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds made out of whole cloth to me.See also: cloth, made, of, out, whole

cut from whole cloth

Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds like it's cut from whole cloth to me.See also: cloth, cut, whole

made from whole cloth

Entirely fictional or utterly false; completely fabricated and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds like it's made from whole cloth to me.See also: cloth, made, whole

be touching cloth

semi-vulgar slang To have a very urgent or desperate need to defecate. (Refers jokingly to one's feces protruding into one's underpants.) Boy, it's a good thing we got home when we did—I was touching cloth on the way here!See also: cloth, touching

whole cloth

An entirely fictional account not based on reality at all; make-believe. Usually appears in the phrase "out of whole cloth." A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. I broke curfew staying out too late with my boyfriend, but luckily I was able to make an excuse out of whole cloth about being at the library. When my sister refused to go to sleep without a bedtime story, I pulled a tale about princesses together out of whole cloth.See also: cloth, whole

man of the cloth

A priest or clergyman. Ever since he was young, John knew he wanted to become a man of the cloth.See also: cloth, man, of

cut from the same cloth

Very similar in characteristics or behaviors. I hate the snow, but my kids just love it—they are definitely cut from the same cloth. Julia and her mother are cut from the same cloth, as they are both so kind and sweet.See also: cloth, cut, same

cloth ears

A humorous name for one who has not heard something that has been said. Primarily heard in UK. Come on, cloth ears, she practically shouted the answer—how did you miss it?See also: cloth, ear

cut (one's) coat according to (one's) cloth

To shop or act in accordance with one's financial limitations. You'll go bankrupt unless you start cutting your coat according to your cloth.See also: accord, cloth, coat, cut

take the cloth

To become a member of the clergy, typically a priest. Fewer young men are taking the cloth these days.See also: cloth, take

make (something) up out of whole cloth

To fabricate something entirely fictional or utterly false and not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds like he made it up out of whole cloth to me.See also: cloth, make, of, out, up, whole

sackcloth and ashes

Penitence or remorse for one's misdeeds or poor behavior. The phrase originates from an ancient tradition of wearing sackcloth as a show of repentance, and is typically accompanied by verbs like "wear." Darren has been wearing sackcloth and ashes ever since his girlfriend broke up with him for cheating on her. There's no way to turn back time on the way I treated my brother growing up. All I can do now is stay in sackcloth and ashes.See also: and, ash, sackcloth

out of whole cloth

Entirely from fiction or the imagination, or through complete fabrication; not based on reality at all. A reference to tailors who would falsely advertise garments being made "out of whole cloth," when, in reality, they were pieced together from different cuts. To be honest, I don't believe a word he says—it sounds cut out of whole cloth to me. I broke curfew staying out too late with my boyfriend, but luckily I was able to make an excuse out of whole cloth about being at the library.See also: cloth, of, out, whole

cut (one's) cloth

To act in accordance with one's limitations, often financial. Primarily heard in UK. You'll go bankrupt if you don't start cutting your cloth.See also: cloth, cut

in cloth

Bound in cloth, as of certain books. Wow, this is a rare edition of Wuthering Heights in cloth!See also: cloth

cut from the same cloth

and made from the same moldFig. sharing a lot of similarities; seeming to have been created, reared, or fashioned in the same way. She and her brother are cut from the same cloth. They both tell lies all the time. Father and son are made from the same mold and even sound alike on the telephone.See also: cloth, cut, same

cut one's coat according to one's cloth

and cut one's coat to suit one's clothProv. to plan one's aims and activities in line with one's resources and circumstances. We would like a bigger house, but we must cut our coat according to our cloth. They can't afford a vacation abroad—they have to cut their coat according to their cloth.See also: accord, cloth, coat, cut

make something up out of whole cloth

Fig. to fabricate a story or a lie. That's a lie. You just made that up out of whole cloth. That's a lie. You just made up that story out of whole cloth.See also: cloth, make, of, out, up, whole

man of the cloth

Fig. a clergyman. Father Brown is a man of the cloth and is welcome at our table for dinner every Sunday.See also: cloth, man, of

out of whole cloth

From pure fabrication or fiction. This expression is often put as cut (or made) out of whole cloth, as in That story was cut out of whole cloth. In the 15th century this expression referred to something fabricated from cloth that ran the full length of the loom. However, by the 1800s it was common practice for tailors to deceive their customers and, instead of using whole cloth, actually make garments from pieced goods. Their advertising slogan, "cut out of whole cloth," thus came to mean "made up, false." See also: cloth, of, out, whole

sackcloth and ashes

Mourning or penitence, as in What I did to Julie's child was terrible, and I've been in sackcloth and ashes ever since . This term refers to the ancient Hebrew custom of indicating humility before God by wearing a coarse cloth, normally used to make sacks, and dusting oneself with ashes. In English it appeared in William Tyndale's 1526 biblical translations (Matthew 11:21), "They [the cities Tyre and Sidon] had repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." See also: and, ash, sackcloth

be cut from the same cloth

mainly BRITISHIf two or more people are cut from the same cloth, they are very similar in their character, attitudes, or behaviour. It's often said that London critics are all cut from the same cloth: that they are white, male, middle-aged and middle-class. Note: You can say that people are cut from a different cloth, meaning they are very different. His brother was cut from an altogether different cloth.See also: cloth, cut, same

cloth ears

BRITISHIf someone has cloth ears, they do not pay attention or listen to something important. We've tried telling the government on numerous occasions but they have cloth ears. Note: You can also describe someone as cloth-eared. Even cloth-eared politicians have finally realised the scale of the problem.See also: cloth, ear

cut your cloth

mainly BRITISHIf you cut your cloth according to your situation, you limit what you do to take account of the resources you have. Ford would be forced to cut its cloth according to the demands of the market. The Government would have to cut its cloth and eliminate programmes which were not used. Note: You can also say that you cut your coat according to your cloth, with the same meaning. Organisations which are supported by the taxpayer must cut their coats according to their cloth.See also: cloth, cut

make something of whole cloth

make something up of whole cloth

AMERICANIf someone makes a story or statement of whole cloth or makes up a story or statement of whole cloth, they invent all of it. There are those who say that story was made of whole cloth. It's the biggest journalistic scandal since Jones won a Pulitzer prize for a story she made up from whole cloth. Note: Verbs such as create and invent are sometimes used instead of make. It would not be the first time he had tried to make millions by creating causes out of whole cloth.See also: cloth, make, of, something, whole

cloth ears

an inability to hear or understand clearly. British informal derogatorySee also: cloth, ear

cut from the same cloth

of the same nature. 1999 Washington Post The last thing a franchise needs is for the two most important men at the top to be cut from the same cloth. See also: cloth, cut, same

cut your coat according to your cloth

undertake only what you have the money or ability to do and no more. proverbSee also: accord, cloth, coat, cut

man of the cloth

a clergyman. Jonathan Swift used cloth as an informal term for the clerical profession in the early 18th century, but it was earlier applied to several other occupations for which distinctive clothing was worn, e.g. the legal or military professions.See also: cloth, man, of

out of (the) whole cloth

wholly fabricated; with no basis in fact or reality. North American informal 1991 Ron Rosenbaum Travels with Dr. Death The fact that her murder is officially ‘unsolved’ is irritating, yes, but not justification for creating conspiracy theories out of the whole cloth. See also: cloth, of, out, whole

be ˌcut from the same ˈcloth

be very similar in character, quality, experience, etc: Don’t assume all the women in our family are cut from the same cloth.See also: cloth, cut, same

ˌcut your ˈcoat acˌcording to your ˈcloth

(saying) do only what you have enough money to do and no more: This has not been a good year for us financially, and we must be prepared to cut our coat according to our cloth.See also: accord, cloth, coat, cut

a ˌman of ˈGod/the ˈcloth

(old-fashioned, formal) a religious man, especially a priest or a clergymanSee also: cloth, god, man, of

in cloth

With a clothbound binding; as a clothbound book.See also: cloth

cut from the same cloth

Similar or the same.See also: cloth, cut, same

out of whole cloth

1. By means of the imagination or as a fabrication: "Some of her stories she created out of whole cloth; for others she began with an incident Idella had described and then reimagined it into a full story" (Kate Walbert).2. Out of nothing; from the very start: "The idea of creating out of whole cloth an intelligence network in a country like that is daunting" (Jack Reed).See also: cloth, of, out, whole

out of whole cloth

A fabrication; untrue. From the mid-fifteenth century on, whole cloth meant a piece of cloth of full size, as opposed to one from which a portion had been cut. The term was used figuratively in various ways from the late sixteenth century on, and the current cliché came into use in the early 1800s. Lexicographer Charles Funk suggested that the turnaround came from the fact that some tailors deceived customers by using patched or pieced goods instead of a genuine full width of cloth. William Safire commented that by ironic transference the fabrication (cloth) was treated as another kind of fabrication (a lie). An early appearance in print came in Thomas Chandler Haliburton’s The Clockmaker (1840): “All that talk about her temper was made out of whole cloth. . . . What a fib!”See also: cloth, of, out, whole

out of whole cloth

Fictitious. The most convincing explanation for this phrase deals with Middle Ages tailors who wove fabric on large looms, then cut the pieces into suits and dresses. Garments made from a single bolt of cloth were far preferable to ones made from leftover pieces. Dishonest tailors tried to convince customers that their clothes were made of whole cloth. When their lie was found out enough times, “whole cloth” came to stand for a fabrication, the meaning that survives to this day.See also: cloth, of, out, whole

cloth

cloth

cloth

cloth

clothes

cloth

cloth

cloth

cloth

cloth

back-cloth star

cut out of whole cloth

made out of whole cloth

cut from whole cloth

made from whole cloth

be touching cloth

whole cloth

man of the cloth

cut from the same cloth

cloth ears

cut (one's) coat according to (one's) cloth

take the cloth

make (something) up out of whole cloth

sackcloth and ashes

out of whole cloth

cut (one's) cloth

in cloth

cut from the same cloth

cut one's coat according to one's cloth

make something up out of whole cloth

man of the cloth

out of whole cloth

sackcloth and ashes

be cut from the same cloth

cloth ears

cut your cloth

make something of whole cloth

make something up of whole cloth

cloth ears

cut from the same cloth

cut your coat according to your cloth

man of the cloth

out of (the) whole cloth

be ˌcut from the same ˈcloth

ˌcut your ˈcoat acˌcording to your ˈcloth

a ˌman of ˈGod/the ˈcloth

in cloth

cut from the same cloth

out of whole cloth

out of whole cloth

out of whole cloth

cloth

cloth

cloth

CLOTH

cloth

Synonyms for cloth

noun fabric

Synonyms

Synonyms for cloth

noun artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers

Synonyms

Related Words