whole cloth
nounDefinition of whole cloth
: 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
The Russians are not manufacturing an issue out of whole cloth — nationalism clearly has an authentic popular basis — but instead use their influence to magnify it. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Britain Has a Russia Collusion Scandal Now. It Looks Exactly Like Trump’s.," 22 June 2018 Trump did not invent this language from whole cloth. — Sarah Jones, The New Republic, "Why Tyrants Dehumanize the Powerless," 20 June 2018 The willingness to create a character from whole cloth to talk you up to the tabloids is the sort of thing that wouldn't occur to most people. — Chris Cillizza, CNN, "This 1990 Donald Trump quote in Playboy magazine explains today perfectly," 31 May 2018 In fact, Balogun only looks like a threat at all when viewed through the lens that the FBI fabricated whole cloth. — Luke Darby, GQ, "The FBI Held a Black Activist for 5 Months for Legally Owning a Gun and Attending a Protest," 12 May 2018 Crucially, the Sisters are onstage for the opening scene, created by the directors out of whole cloth, in which Chaon Cross's Lady Macbeth mourns over a small coffin containing what appears to be her own stillborn baby. — Tony Adler, Chicago Reader, "Aaron Posner and Teller’s Macbeth is no Tempest," 9 May 2018 Some prescriptive usage rules seem so arbitrary and unnecessary as to be made out of whole cloth. — John E. Mcintyre, baltimoresun.com, "A bogus rule collides with the English language," 1 May 2018 But some Republicans warn that the Court could divine a new standard from whole cloth that could create confusion. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The GOP’s Internet Tax," 15 Mar. 2018 Rivera said the agency isn't trying to create new neighborhoods out of whole cloth. — Andrew Theen, OregonLive.com, "Sixth Sextant? City considering changing thousands of addresses to 'South Portland'," 28 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'whole cloth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Learn More about whole cloth
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
6 Words for Unbelievable Stories
6 Words for Unbelievable Stories
This next one's a doozy.
Dictionary Entries near whole cloth
Statistics for whole cloth
Look-up Popularity
Time Traveler for whole cloth
The first known use of whole cloth was in 1823
Comments on whole cloth
What made you want to look up whole cloth? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Find the Cousins
-
- Which pair shares a common word ancestor?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share whole cloth
Resources for whole cloth