Did you know?
Many fabrics have been named for the places where they were once made. Denim gets its name from Nîmes, a city in France famous for its textiles. But the name came about in an unusual way. The fabric, a heavy serge, was originally called serge de Nîmes, literally, “serge from Nîmes.” The “s” on Nîmes is not pronounced in French, so when the name of the fabric came into English, it was often written serge de Nim and later serge denim. In time, this was shortened to simply denim.
Examples of denim in a Sentence
Luisa Zargani, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025
Best of all, the jeans use elastane for a stretchier fit, unlike rigid denim that can feel restrictive.
—Clara McMahon, People.com, 16 Jan. 2025
It’s made of 100% cotton—rigid denim that gets better and softer over time.
—Talia Abbas, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2025
Diesel is celebrating the Year of the Snake with snake-print denim.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for denim 
Dictionary Entries Near denim
Cite this Entry
“Denim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denim. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
denim
noun
from French (serge) de Nîmes "serge (fabric) from Nîmes (city in France)"
Share