Words / B1

FABR-ik/ˈfæbrɪk/

Fabric is cloth: cotton fabric; a fabric for uniforms. It is also the basic structure of a system (the fabric of society). Material is a close twin for cloth; cloth is everyday. Uncountable when you mean the type (a metre of fabric). Do not call a finished shirt a fabric — that is a garment. UK news uses social fabric after riots or cuts.

Meaning

Cloth used for making clothes, curtains, or furniture; also the basic structure of something.

Examples

• “The uniform is made from a washable fabric that survives the night shift.”
• “Cuts to youth clubs damaged the social fabric of the estate.”

Good to know

cotton / waterproof fabric; the fabric of society. Close (cloth): material. Finished item: a garment. Uncountable for the type.

Near in meaning

material

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