Illustration of cotton
- 1 flowering branch
- 2 fruit (unopened)
- 3 fruit (partly opened)
often attributive
1
a
: a soft usually white fibrous substance composed of the hairs surrounding the seeds of various erect freely branching tropical plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family
b
: a plant producing cotton
especially
: one grown for its cotton
c
: a crop of cotton
2
a
: fabric made of cotton
b
: yarn spun from cotton
3
: a downy cottony substance produced by various plants (such as the cottonwood)
cottoned; cottoning
ˈkät-niŋ,
ˈkä-tᵊn-iŋ
1
: to take a liking
—used with to
cottons to people easily
2
: to come to understand
—used with to or on to
… cottoned on to the fact that our children work furiously …—
H. M. McLuhan
H. M. McLuhan
Did you know?
The noun cotton, from the Arabic word quṭun or quṭn, first appeared in English in the 14th century. The substance and the word that named it were soon both culturally prominent, so English did a very English thing to do—it created a verb from the noun. By the late 15th century, cotton could mean “to form a fuzzy or downy surface on (cloth).” This verb sense (as well as other cotton-related verb meanings) is a lexical dust bunny at this point, but our modern-day uses spun from it. By the mid 16th century cotton could mean “to go on prosperously, to develop well, to succeed.” The metaphor is not difficult to see, as cotton cloth with a nice nap has indeed developed well. By the early 17th century, the verb had shifted again, and cottoning was, as it still often is, about taking a liking to someone or something. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that someone who cottoned to or on to something had come to understand it.
Examples of cotton in a Sentence
Noun
They are in the field picking cotton.
She doesn't wear cotton in the winter.
Verb
failed to cotton on to the fact that her senatorial campaign was going nowhere
Recent Examples on the Web
Kaan Ozcan, NBC news, 4 Apr. 2026
This dolman-sleeve pick is made with a blend of organic cotton and cashmere for an extra-luxe touch.
—Ali Faccenda, InStyle, 3 Apr. 2026
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Pieces range from four-way stretch technical gym and yoga gear, to cotton knit blazers, cashmere sweaters, hybrid and performance footwear.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cotton
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Noun
Kinesiology tape, also called KT tape, is a flexible, adhesive cotton tape frequently seen attached to athletes’ joints, limbs or major muscle areas.
—Kaan Ozcan, NBC news, 4 Apr. 2026
This dolman-sleeve pick is made with a blend of organic cotton and cashmere for an extra-luxe touch.
—Ali Faccenda, InStyle, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by Guy Stokely and his son, entrepreneur Tim Stokely, who cottoned onto the notion of enabling influencers to monetize their content themselves, as The New York Times described in a 2019 company profile.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
Pieces range from four-way stretch technical gym and yoga gear, to cotton knit blazers, cashmere sweaters, hybrid and performance footwear.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cotton
Cite this Entry
“Cotton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cotton. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cotton
1 of 2 noun
cot·ton
ˈkät-ᵊn
1
a
: a soft usually white fluffy material that is made up of the hairs around the seeds of a tall plant related to the mallows and that is spun into yarn
b
: any plant that produces cotton
2
a
: fabric made of cotton
b
: yarn spun from cotton
cotton
adjective
cotton
2 of 2 verb
cottoned; cottoning
ˈkät-niŋ
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to take a liking
cottoned to them at our first meeting
Medical Definition
cotton
noun
cot·ton
ˈkät-ᵊn
often attributive
1
: a soft usually white fibrous substance composed of the hairs surrounding the seeds of various erect freely branching tropical plants (genus Gossypium) of the mallow family and used extensively in making threads, yarns, and fabrics (as in surgical dressings)
2
: a plant producing cotton
especially
: one grown for its cotton
Biographical Definition
Cotton 1 of 2
biographical name (1)
Cot·ton
ˈkä-tᵊn
Charles 1630–1687 English author and translator
Cotton
2 of 2biographical name (2)
John 1585–1652 American (English-born) Puritan clergyman
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