What does "tissue" mean?
Thin, woven, gauze-like fabric.
Tissue
/ˈtɪs.juː/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Thin, woven, gauze-like fabric.
- Grammar: tissue is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: tissue paper, accumulation, all that lives, anatomy.
- Useful contrasts: whole organisms, cloth, handkerchiefs.
- Usage evidence: I think I'm gonna sneeze. Give me a tissue.
How to use "tissue"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tissue" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tissue" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tissue" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tissue" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tissue" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "tissue paper" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tissue", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Thin, woven, gauze-like fabric. countable, uncountable
"Madame Legarde, the "glass of fashion and the nurse of form," (alias the most fashionable of milliners,) has comfortably assured me, "that my figure has great merit, and only requires cultivation:" this is to be done by tissues, brocades, and laces, which are now scattered round me in charming confusion."
- 2 part of an organism consisting of an aggregate of cells having a similar structure and function wordnet
- 3 A fine transparent silk material, used for veils, etc.; specifically, cloth interwoven with gold or silver threads, or embossed with figures. countable, uncountable
"A Robe of Tiſſue, ſtiff with golden Wire; / An upper Veſt, once Hellen’s rich Attire; [...]"
- 4 a soft thin (usually translucent) paper wordnet
- 5 A sheet of absorbent paper, especially one that is made to be used as tissue paper, toilet paper or a handkerchief. countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 Absorbent paper as material. countable, uncountable
- 7 A group of cells (along with their extracellular matrix if any) that are similar in origin and function together to do a specific job. countable, uncountable
"What they lack is outermost brain tissue that, at least in humans, prompts awareness and interpretation."
- 8 Web; texture; complicated fabrication; connected series. countable, uncountable
"a tissue of forgeries, or of lies"
- 9 The scratch sheet or racing form. countable, slang, uncountable
"Pricing the first show is a matter of the bookmaker's individual judgment, relying upon advice from all quarters, particularly the tissue; but very soon in the betting exchanges it becomes clear that the sole criterion for the fixing of a horse's price is demand."
Verb
- 1 To form tissue of; to interweave.
"The Chariot was couered with Cloth of Gold tiſſued vpon blew."
- 2 create a piece of cloth by interlacing strands of fabric, such as wool or cotton wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I think I'm gonna sneeze. Give me a tissue."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tissue"?
Common synonyms include: tissue paper, accumulation, all that lives, anatomy, animal tissue, arabesque.
How do you use "tissue" in a sentence?
I think I'm gonna sneeze. Give me a tissue.
How do you pronounce "tissue"?
Pronounced /ˈtɪs.juː/.
Etymology
From Middle English tissu, from Old French tissu (“woven”), past participle of tistre (“to weave”), from Latin texō (“to weave”).