out of whole cloth
idiom
US, informal
: in order to trick someone into believing what is not true
He would make up stories out of whole cloth just to stir up trouble.
Examples of out of whole cloth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since crashing the scene late last year, AI chatbots such as ChatGPT have proven themselves capable of crafting college admissions essays, producing viral images out of whole cloth, and spooking everyone from curious journalists to Silicon Valley tech execs.
—
Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023
Many drivers stopped with those charges argue that they were manufactured out of whole cloth.
—John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 9 Feb. 2022
Some of the Conjuring universe movies are entirely made up out of whole cloth but this one is inspired by a real incident, a real court case.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 1 June 2021
Creating jobs out of whole cloth was one of her specialties.
—Longreads, 18 May 2021
See All Example Sentences for out of whole cloth
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Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 26 May 2023
Many drivers stopped with those charges argue that they were manufactured out of whole cloth.
—John Archibald | Jarchibald@al.com, al, 9 Feb. 2022
Some of the Conjuring universe movies are entirely made up out of whole cloth but this one is inspired by a real incident, a real court case.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 1 June 2021
Creating jobs out of whole cloth was one of her specialties.
—Longreads, 18 May 2021
See All Example Sentences for out of whole cloth
Cite this Entry
“Out of whole cloth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/out%20of%20whole%20cloth. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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