wool
gb/wˈʊl/ us/wˈʊl/
A2
English
~ 7600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
textile material from sheep’s hair
A soft hair from sheep that people use to make clothes, blankets, and other warm things.
Usage pattern:
made of wool
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse “wool” with “fur” or “hair.” Use “wool” for the material from sheep that is used for clothes and blankets, and “fur” for the soft hair on some animals that is not usually spun into yarn. Another common mistake is saying *“a wool”* for material; use “wool” as an uncountable noun (e.g., “made of wool,” not “made of a wool”).
Synonyms
woolen fabric (Focuses on cloth made from wool, not the raw fiber itself.)
Antonyms
synthetic fabric (Refers to man‑made materials like polyester, often used instead of wool.)
Collocations
pure wool
|wool sweater
|wool socks
|wool coat
|wool blanket
|merino wool
Themes
clothing
|materials
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- This jacket is made of 100% wool, so it’s very warm.
- She prefers wool socks in winter because they keep her feet dry.
- The label says the scarf is a mix of wool and acrylic.
- Merino wool is softer and less itchy than regular wool.
- They bought a thick wool blanket for their camping trip.
Learner examples
- I wear a wool hat when it is cold.
- These pants are wool, not cotton.
- My grandmother knits warm wool sweaters.
- The red coat is wool and very heavy.
- He washed his wool jumper in hot water and it shrank.
Noun
B1
entity
2
hair growing on sheep and similar animals
The thick, soft hair on a sheep or some other animals before people cut it off to use it.
Usage pattern:
the wool on [an animal]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use “fur” instead of “wool” for sheep. In English, sheep and similar animals like goats and alpacas are usually said to have “wool,” not “fur.”
Synonyms
fleece (Commonly used for the full coat of wool on a sheep, especially when talking about shearing.)
Antonyms
bare skin (Describes the animal’s body with the wool removed, the opposite physical state of being covered in wool.)
Collocations
sheep’s wool
|thick wool
|soft wool
|clip the wool
|grow wool
|coarse wool
Themes
animals
|agriculture
|materials
|clothing
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The sheep’s wool had grown so long that it could barely see.
- Farmers shear the wool from the sheep every spring.
- This breed is raised mainly for its fine wool.
- After the storm, bits of wool were caught on the fence.
- The lamb’s wool was still short and very soft.
Learner examples
- The sheep has very thick wool.
- They cut the wool from the sheep in summer.
- This farm sells wool from its own sheep.
- I saw white wool on the fence in the field.
- Some sheep have soft wool and some have rough wool.
Noun
technical
B2
entity
3
wool-like fibrous industrial material
A soft, wool-like material made from things like metal or glass, used for cleaning or keeping heat in.
Usage pattern:
[material] wool
Synonyms
fibrous insulation (Used mainly for insulation products like glass wool or mineral wool, not for cleaning products like steel wool.)
Antonyms
solid sheet metal (Contrasts a dense, non-fibrous form of material with the loose, fibrous structure of products like steel wool.)
Collocations
steel wool
|glass wool
|mineral wool
|rock wool
|wire wool
Themes
materials
|technology
|household
|work
|daily_life
Examples
- Use steel wool to scrub the burnt food off the pan.
- The walls are filled with mineral wool for better sound insulation.
- Glass wool can irritate the skin, so you should wear gloves.
- They replaced the old rock wool with a safer modern material.
- The mechanic cleaned the rust off the bolt with a pad of wire wool.
Learner examples
- He used steel wool to clean the pot.
- The house has mineral wool in the walls.
- Glass wool helps keep the building warm.
- Do not touch the glass wool with bare hands.
- We bought steel wool to clean the old pan.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wool
IPA
GB/wˈʊl/
US/wˈʊl/
Syllables & stress
wool (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (wool)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: wool
- Plural: wool, wools
Word family
Forms
wools
noun
Core family
woollen
adjective B1
woolly
adjective
Related words
woolen
adjective
Advanced or less common
woolliness
noun
Expressions
dyed-in-the-wool
1/dˈaɪd ˈɪn ðə wˈʊl/
idiom
having fixed, long-held beliefs
Having very strong ideas or beliefs that do not change.
Examples
- She’s a dyed-in-the-wool environmentalist who has been campaigning since her teens.
- Despite the new evidence, the dyed-in-the-wool supporters refused to change their views.
pull the wool over [someone]'s eyes
1/pˈʊl ðə wˈʊl ˈoʊvɚ sˈoʊmˈoʊnz ˈaɪz/
idiom
to trick or deceive someone
To trick someone so that they do not see or understand the truth.
Examples
- He tried to pull the wool over the inspector’s eyes, but she quickly found the errors.
- The company pulled the wool over customers’ eyes by hiding the extra fees.
wool-gathering
1/wˈʊl ɡˈæðɚɪŋ/
idiom
literary
daydreaming and not focused
Thinking about nothing important and not paying attention to what is happening around you.
Examples
- Stop your wool-gathering and listen to what I’m saying.
- He seemed to be wool-gathering during the entire meeting.
wrap [someone] in cotton wool
1/ɹˈæp sˈʌmwˌʌn ˈɪn kˈɑtən wˈʊl/
idiom
informal
to overprotect someone
To protect someone too much so that they never face problems or risks.
Examples
- She worries that her parents wrapped her in cotton wool when she was a child.
- You can’t wrap your kids in cotton wool forever; they need to learn from experience.