Meaning & use
fabric
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
Cloth made by weaving, knitting, or felting fibers, used for clothing, furnishings, and other items.
Grammar: Can be countable when referring to types of cloth (e.g., 'a soft fabric') or uncountable when talking about the material in general (e.g., 'made of fabric').
Patterns
- a piece of fabric
- made of fabric
- soft fabric
She bought some beautiful silk fabric to make a dress.
This sofa is covered in a durable fabric that resists stains.
The curtains are made from a heavy fabric that blocks light.
nounsingularfigurative
The basic structure or framework of a system, organization, or society.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'the fabric of' something, and typically singular.
Patterns
- the fabric of society
- the fabric of the community
- the fabric of the organization
Trust is essential to the fabric of any healthy relationship.
The new policies threaten the fabric of our democracy.
Education helps hold together the fabric of society.
Word forms
| plural | fabrics |
|---|
Common combinations
- soft fabric
- The baby's blanket is made of a soft fabric.
- fabric of society
- Community volunteers strengthen the fabric of society.
- woven fabric
- The jacket is made from a tightly woven fabric.
- fabric softener
- Add fabric softener to the wash to make clothes feel softer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cloth
- Cloth is a more general term for material made from fibers; fabric often implies a finished textile for a specific use.
- material
- Material can refer to any substance, while fabric specifically means textile.
- textile
- Textile is a more technical term, often used in industry; fabric is common in everyday language.
Word family
- fabricate verb
- To make or invent something, often falsely.
- fabrication noun
- The act of making something, or a lie.
Commonly confused: fabric or fabrics?
fabric vs fabrics
Fabrics is simply the plural of fabric; don't confuse with 'fabricate'.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
In the figurative sense, 'fabric' is singular and takes a singular verb 'is'. Option 1 has subject-verb agreement error, option 2 uses wrong verb form, option 3 changes meaning to 'weak' instead of 'weakening'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fabric”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.