textile
Americannoun
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any cloth or goods produced by weaving, knitting, or felting.
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a material, as a fiber or yarn, used in or suitable for weaving.
Glass can be used as a textile.
adjective
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woven or capable of being woven.
textile fabrics.
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of or relating to weaving.
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of or relating to textiles or the production of textiles.
the textile industry.
noun
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any fabric or cloth, esp woven
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raw material suitable to be made into cloth; fibre or yarn
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a non-nudist, as described by nudists; one who wears clothes
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of textile
1520–30; < Latin textilis woven, textile (noun use of neuter) woven fabric, equivalent to text ( us ), past participle of texere to weave + -ilis, -ile -ile
Explanation
A textile is something made by knitting, weaving, or crocheting fibers together. A textile is a cloth. You’re probably wearing a textile right now! Textile comes from the Latin word, textilis for "woven fabric” and that's exactly what it is. If you’re in the textile business, you’re dealing with the stuff that gets turned into clothes, flags, dishrags, or anything else made of cloth. If you knit a scarf, you create a hand-made textile — although the word is more often used in art or industry, as in textile design or textile imports.
Vocabulary lists containing textile
Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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Human Geography - Middle School
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The Industrial Revolution - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I thought I would lay low for a while and seek new employment once the situation calms," said Musa Hashimi, who worked as a machinist in a textile factory.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
While the European Union has adopted broader rules on textile sustainability and online marketplaces, France’s law is the first to directly target the business models of companies such as Shein and Temu.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 29, 2026
Modern balls often have multiple layers, including "a bladder, then a textile layer, then foam and another few layers like that," said Phillips.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026
Vikings weren’t just “simple, uncivilized, barbaric hordes,” says historian after a huge 1,000-year-old textile production site was discovered.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026
The textile factories that service Panem are loud with machinery, and the din also allowed word to pass safely, a pair of lips close to an ear, words unnoticed, unchecked.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
