corduroy

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noun cor·du·roy \ ˈkȯr-də-ˌrȯi \

Definition of corduroy

plural corduroys

1 a corduroys plural :trousers of corduroy fabric

b :a durable usually cotton pile fabric with vertical ribs or wales

2 :logs laid side by side transversely to make a road surface

See corduroy defined for English-language learners

See corduroy defined for kids

Examples of corduroy in a Sentence

a jacket made of corduroy

Recent Examples of corduroy from the Web

Those searching for a more modest take on the fabric should look to Mulberry, which showed a maxi skirt in corduroy.

— kirby marzec, Vogue, "Corduroy, the World’s Most Unsexy Fabric, Makes a Cool Comeback," 23 Aug. 2017
Elizabeth Olsen in Louis Vuitton evokes Cybill Shepherd in The Last Picture Show, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson relives All the President’s Men in a wide-wale-corduroy suit by Prada.

— krista smith, vanityfair.com, "Behind the Scenes of the 2017 Vanity Fair Style Portfolio," 1 Aug. 2017
You're compelled to touch the mounds of velvet, corduroy, feathers and chiffon.

— samantha swindler, OregonLive.com, "With historic Portland costume shop closing, employee seeks to save the collection (Column)," 30 July 2017
Peruvian pima cotton twill and corduroy was a focus for our trouser styles.

— scott christian, Esquire, "Your First Look at Saturdays NYC's Fall 2017 Collection," 27 July 2017
Parisians admired his clothing—a chocolate-brown corduroy suit, a yellow shirt, a red scarf.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "The Art Market’s Modigliani Forgery Epidemic," 3 May 2017
Growing up in small-town Illinois meant the hallways of my high school were basically a parade of navy blue corduroy.

— kelsey stiegman, Seventeen, "Your Old FFA Jacket Is Officially Trendy," 4 Apr. 2017
Tougher, men’s wear fabrics and suiting have been omnipresent: at Etro, where Veronica Etro mixed tweed and corduroy, Tibetan silk and sherpa shearling, into a mélange meant for a self-selecting tribe.

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "Different Women’s March, Same Message," 26 Feb. 2017
There were ripped chain-mail leggings and wide-wale corduroy coats trimmed in rough-cut shearling; mesh minidresses and studded minidresses and minidresses pieced together from collages of leaves.

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "In Paris, Anthony Vaccarello Under the Strobe Lights," 2 Mar. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'corduroy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of corduroy

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1791

See Words from the same year

Other Textiles Terms

batt, bias, brocade, duck, flock, lawn, toile

corduroy

verb

Definition of corduroy

corduroyed; corduroying

transitive verb

:to build (a road) of logs laid side by side transversely; also :to build a corduroy road across

First Known Use of corduroy

1854

Other Transportation Terms

camber, demurrage, milestone

CORDUROY Defined for English Language Learners

corduroy

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noun

Definition of corduroy for English Language Learners

: a strong cotton cloth with straight raised lines on it
corduroys : pants made of corduroy

CORDUROY Defined for Kids

corduroy

play

noun cor·du·roy \ ˈkȯr-də-ˌrȯi \

Definition of corduroy for Students

1 :a heavy ribbed usually cotton cloth

2 corduroys plural :trousers made of a heavy ribbed cloth

Learn More about corduroy

See words that rhyme with corduroy Spanish Central: Translation of corduroy Nglish: Translation of corduroy for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about corduroy

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corduroy

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Examples of corduroy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of corduroy from the Web

Origin and Etymology of corduroy

Other Textiles Terms

corduroy

Definition of corduroy

First Known Use of corduroy

Other Transportation Terms

CORDUROY Defined for English Language Learners

corduroy

Definition of corduroy for English Language Learners

CORDUROY Defined for Kids

corduroy

Definition of corduroy for Students

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