corduroy

1 of 2

noun

cor·​du·​roy ˈkȯr-də-ˌrȯi 

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

corduroy

2 of 2

verb

corduroyed; corduroying

transitive verb

: to build (a road) of logs laid side by side transversely

also : to build a corduroy road across

Examples of corduroy in a Sentence

Noun

a jacket made of corduroy

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This season, there are houndstooth jackets, embroidered tartans, rose print evening dresses and pinwhale corduroy shirts with broderie anglaise details. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025

The Mercer 41 sleeper sofa—made to fit two guests quite comfortably—channels a Bauhaus vibe with its metal frame, and the green corduroy upholstery leans into today’s penchant for all things ’70s. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2025

Verb

Style it with jeans or corduroy pants in your favorite fall outfits, or wear it with a long skirt or slacks for work. —Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025

Yesno Corduroy Wide-Leg Overalls with Pockets These corduroy wide-leg overalls can be layered over a long-sleeve tee with sneakers; once the temp drops, opt for a chunky sweater for extra warmth. —Emily Weaver, People.com, 13 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

of obscure origin

Note: In the 18th century a name for a kind of coarse, thick-ribbed cotton fabric. It has been hypothesized that the word is a compound of cord as the name for a fabric and duroy, a coarse woolen fabric, but cord in this sense does not appear to be earlier than corduroy. Advertisements in the 1774 numbers of the Boston Gazette and Country Journal have cord, corduroy, duroy, as well as cordesoy and cordusoy (perhaps by association with padusoy, variant of paduasoy) in lists of fabrics for sale. The notion that corduroy is from French corde du roi, "king's cord," is fanciful.

Verb

derivative of corduroy entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for corduroy

• fauntleroy
• iroquois
• ahoy
• alloy
• annoy
• carboy
• convoy
• cowboy
• decoy
• deploy
• destroy
• employ

Kids Definition

corduroy

noun

cor·​du·​roy

ˈkȯrd-ə-ˌrȯi

plural corduroys

1

a

: a strong ribbed usually cotton cloth

b

plural : pants of corduroy

2

: a road built of logs laid side by side