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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
Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 2 June 2025
From straight-legs, to palazzos, skinny jeans, and more, keep reading to discover all the best Frame denim styles, right here.
—Kristina Rutkowski, Vogue, 30 May 2025
Additionally, employees must wear khaki, black or denim bottoms — or risk being sent home.
—Tanasia Kenney, Sacbee.com, 20 May 2025
The couple rocked matching denim while out in Sunset Plaza in 1991.
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For a Cause
Jennifer and Sylvester wore shades of blue at Donna Karan's Fall Collection Fashion Show to Benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles in Sept. 1992.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for denim
Cite this Entry
“Denim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denim. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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denim
noun
from French (serge) de Nîmes "serge (fabric) from Nîmes (city in France)"
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