whole cloth

noun

: pure fabrication
usually used in the phrase out of whole cloth
The theory was created out of whole cloth.

Examples of whole cloth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The worst of these loopholes, fashioned out of whole cloth, was the California Supreme Court’s 2017 decision in California Cannabis Coalition v. City of Upland. Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 21 Dec. 2025 Making up this story out of whole cloth? Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025 Of that group of six, two (Weapons and Sinners) were spun whole cloth from their creators' imaginations, with The Black Phone, Final Destination, and The Conjuring follow-ons from franchises that began as original IP. Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025 Yet, bizarrely, the TV show undercuts this angle by inventing a serial killer nurse from whole cloth, a move that shifts the blame away from systemic forces and toward a motiveless scoundrel. Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for whole cloth

Word History

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whole cloth was in 1823

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Cite this Entry

“Whole cloth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whole%20cloth. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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