smocking
Syllables: smock·ing/ˈsmɒkɪŋ/US/ˈsmɑkɪŋ/
smocking noun: an embroidery technique in which the fabric is gathered and then embroidered with decorative stitches to hold the gathers in place; the product of the use of this embroidery technique. Also the present participle and gerund of smock.
Noun
smocking (countable and uncountable, plural smockings)
- An embroidery technique in which the fabric is gathered and then embroidered with decorative stitches to hold the gathers in place; the product of the use of this embroidery technique.
- Mr. Hudson […] preaches in his surplice. We see no reason why all clergymen should not do likewise. This donning and undonning, this white dressing and black smocking which one sees in so many churches, is a piece of stale nonsense; […]1872, Atticus [pseudonym; A. Hewitson], “Fulwood Church”, in Our Country Churches & Chapels. Antiquarian, Historical, Ecclesiastical, and Critical Sketches, Preston, Lancashire: A. Hewitson, […]...
- Smocking forms an effective trimming for ladies' dresses, either as a waistcoat or yoke, and looks well for the crown of a small toque with a velvet brim. The great difficulty in smocking is to gather the material regularly, or the embroidery will look crooked.1887, “Smocks and Smocking”, in The Illustrated Queen Almanac and Lady’s Calendar, London: The Queen Office, […], →OCLC, page 39, column 2
Also used as
smocking is also the present participle and gerund of smock.
Examples of smocking in a sentence
- Smocking is not in the least difficult once the method has been thoroughly grasped.1916, “Smocking”, in The Dressmaker: A Complete Book on All Matters Connected with Sewing and Dressmaking […], 2nd revised and enlarged...
- Such decoration should be chosen for these as can be designed to follow the threads of the material; that is, tucks, plaits, shirrings, and smockings.1917, Jane Fales, “Waists”, in Dressmaking: A Manual for Schools and Colleges, New York, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.: Charles Scribner’s Sons...
- An English countryman of the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century would be amazed to see how smocking has changed today.1985, Allyne S. Holland, “Smocking Traditions”, in Treasury of Smocking Designs (Dover Needlework Series), New York, N.Y.: Dover...
- Her stitching was fine and regular, her smocking came out even, and the plaids of her jackets met invisibly at the seams.1994, Ian Frazier, chapter 1, in Family, New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN; republished New York, N.Y.: Picador USA; Farrar...
Forms of smocking
| plural | smockings |
|---|
Origin of smocking
From smock + -ing.
Words that rhyme with smocking
Questions about smocking
- What does smocking mean?
- Smocking means an embroidery technique in which the fabric is gathered and then embroidered with decorative stitches to hold the gathers in place; the product of the use of this embroidery technique.
- How do you use smocking in a sentence?
- Smocking is not in the least difficult once the method has been thoroughly grasped.
- What part of speech is smocking?
- Smocking is a noun.
- How do you pronounce smocking?
- Smocking is pronounced /ˈsmɒkɪŋ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of smocking?
- The plural of smocking is smockings.
Words near smocking in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: smocking (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-smocking.oga.
Cite this entry: “smocking.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/smocking. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.