1
: a large silk or cotton kerchief usually of bright colors that is often worn as a turban
2
a
: a fine plain-woven shirting and dress fabric usually of cotton with varied designs (such as plaid) in bright colors or in white
b
: a light open usually cotton fabric with a heavy design used for curtains
Examples of madras in a Sentence
an Indian woman wearing a madras in bright yellow
Recent Examples on the Web
Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes.
—
Christian Livermore, Longreads, 11 Oct. 2022
Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes.
—Christian Livermore, Longreads, 11 Oct. 2022
Standalone cotton twill, madras, linen, rayon and poplin are light, airy and breathable—and therefore should be avoided at all costs.
—Barry Samaha, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2023
Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes.
—Christian Livermore, Longreads, 11 Oct. 2022
Robbie Kendall was waiting on the steps of the tomb in madras shorts and a light blue polo shirt, his blond hair worn just long enough to suggest surfer without actually looking disreputable.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2022
So the signatures of his brand, honed carefully over the decades, were all there: adorable children and debonair old folks walking in the show, preppy Polo classics like V-neck sweaters and madras pants.
—Rory Satran, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2022
Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes.
—Longreads, 1 Oct. 2022
There is perhaps no greater patchwork proselytizer than Ralph Lauren, who scaled up from scraps to reliably mass-produce tweed and madras iterations with each season.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2022
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Christian Livermore, Longreads, 11 Oct. 2022
Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes.
—Christian Livermore, Longreads, 11 Oct. 2022
Standalone cotton twill, madras, linen, rayon and poplin are light, airy and breathable—and therefore should be avoided at all costs.
—Barry Samaha, Robb Report, 5 Jan. 2023
Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes.
—Christian Livermore, Longreads, 11 Oct. 2022
Robbie Kendall was waiting on the steps of the tomb in madras shorts and a light blue polo shirt, his blond hair worn just long enough to suggest surfer without actually looking disreputable.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2022
So the signatures of his brand, honed carefully over the decades, were all there: adorable children and debonair old folks walking in the show, preppy Polo classics like V-neck sweaters and madras pants.
—Rory Satran, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2022
Straight teeth and sandy hair, Izod T-shirts and madras skirts and boat shoes.
—Longreads, 1 Oct. 2022
There is perhaps no greater patchwork proselytizer than Ralph Lauren, who scaled up from scraps to reliably mass-produce tweed and madras iterations with each season.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Madras.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/madras. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
madras
noun
ma·dras
ˈmad-rəs 
mə-ˈdras,
-ˈdräs
: a fine plain-woven fabric usually of cotton with various designs (as plaid)
Geographical Definition
Madras
geographical name
Ma·dras
mə-ˈdras
-ˈdräs
1
see tamil nadu
2
or now officially Chennai
city and port on the Bay of Bengal in southern India population 4,646,732
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