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 first appears in English in the late Middle Ages. It comes, via Anglo-French and Old Italian, from the Arabic word for cotton, quṭun or quṭn. In the 15th century, cotton acquired a verb use meaning "to form a nap on (cloth)." Though this verb sense is now obsolete, our modern-day use might have spun from it. In 1822, English philologist Robert Nares reported that cotton had been used to mean "to succeed" and speculated that this use came from "the finishing of cloth, which when it cottons, or rises to a regular nap, is nearly or quite complete." The meaning of cotton shifted from "to get on well" to "to get on well together," and eventually to the sense we know today, "to take a liking to." The "understand" sense appeared later, in the early 20th century.
Synonyms
Examples of cotton in a Sentence
Noun
They are in the field picking cotton.
She doesn't wear cotton in the winter.
Recent Examples on the WebJessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
This adorable bucket bag made in France from durable cotton canvas can function as a work tote or a beach bag.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
The brand’s Volley Canvas sneaker is a top choice to shop this spring as the upper is made from 100 percent organic cotton, while supportive (and sustainably made) insoles provide comfort for all-day wear.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2024
Later, her figure appears again in the park, this time picking cotton in a field.
—Kyle Gassiott, NPR, 22 Apr. 2024
The linens used in the rooms have an 82-thread count and are made of 100 percent Turkish cotton sourced from Kahramanmaraş on the southern side of Turkey.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2024
Athleta Girl Daily Graphic Tee in Rainbow Available in sizes 6 through 16, this lightweight t-shirt is made from stretchy organic cotton.
—Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024
One bend features 170-year-old dwellings acquired from former cotton plantations nearby, a whipping post, and replicas of a rail car and a holding pen.
—Donovan X. Ramsey, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
Some offerings extend beyond the home with cotton terry gym towels and a beach bag, both accented by the house’s other stripy signature, a tripartite band of red, white and blue.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Alex Badia, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2023
Tomato growers, dairies take a hit In the Tulare Lake basin, not only will cotton production drop, the region’s dominant tomatoes, used for spaghetti sauce, frozen pizza, ketchup and many other things, will be limited.
—Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 May 2023
Many of us recoil from the pose—the overworked hair, the hulking gait, the monstrous height, the hard eyes—but some seem to cotton to it.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 26 Aug. 2020
Even a flashback to 1981 in the first episode feature a sequence which is narrated backwards, though many viewers may not cotton on.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Oct. 2022
From handmade jewelry to soy wax candles to cotton terry hand towels, it’s one of the trendiest shops in Reykjavik’s Harbour District.
—Katie Lockhart, House Beautiful, 5 Aug. 2022
From Sichuan peppercorns to cotton to housing, the concern this year in China is sinking prices.
—Eva Dou, Washington Post, 15 July 2022
Bentley was the first of the top-shelf global brands to cotton on, introducing the powerful and sumptuous Bentayga in 2015.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 14 July 2022
And regulators cotton on to certain tactics and try to crack down, well, the drug companies find another avenue.
—al, 18 Jan. 2022
Noun
This sweet number is constructed from a soft, breathable organic cotton.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
This adorable bucket bag made in France from durable cotton canvas can function as a work tote or a beach bag.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
The brand’s Volley Canvas sneaker is a top choice to shop this spring as the upper is made from 100 percent organic cotton, while supportive (and sustainably made) insoles provide comfort for all-day wear.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2024
Later, her figure appears again in the park, this time picking cotton in a field.
—Kyle Gassiott, NPR, 22 Apr. 2024
The linens used in the rooms have an 82-thread count and are made of 100 percent Turkish cotton sourced from Kahramanmaraş on the southern side of Turkey.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 19 Apr. 2024
Athleta Girl Daily Graphic Tee in Rainbow Available in sizes 6 through 16, this lightweight t-shirt is made from stretchy organic cotton.
—Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 19 Apr. 2024
One bend features 170-year-old dwellings acquired from former cotton plantations nearby, a whipping post, and replicas of a rail car and a holding pen.
—Donovan X. Ramsey, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
Some offerings extend beyond the home with cotton terry gym towels and a beach bag, both accented by the house’s other stripy signature, a tripartite band of red, white and blue.
—Devorah Lev-Tov Kin Woo Ella Riley-Adams Jameson Montgomery Kurt Soller Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
Hermès cotton shirt, $640; Brunello Cucinelli cotton gabardine pants, $1,495; Giorgio Armani suede belt, $495; Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days GMT Power Reserve Automatic Acciaio, $11,900.
—Alex Badia, Robb Report, 12 Mar. 2023
Tomato growers, dairies take a hit In the Tulare Lake basin, not only will cotton production drop, the region’s dominant tomatoes, used for spaghetti sauce, frozen pizza, ketchup and many other things, will be limited.
—Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 May 2023
Many of us recoil from the pose—the overworked hair, the hulking gait, the monstrous height, the hard eyes—but some seem to cotton to it.
—Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 26 Aug. 2020
Even a flashback to 1981 in the first episode feature a sequence which is narrated backwards, though many viewers may not cotton on.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 17 Oct. 2022
From handmade jewelry to soy wax candles to cotton terry hand towels, it’s one of the trendiest shops in Reykjavik’s Harbour District.
—Katie Lockhart, House Beautiful, 5 Aug. 2022
From Sichuan peppercorns to cotton to housing, the concern this year in China is sinking prices.
—Eva Dou, Washington Post, 15 July 2022
Bentley was the first of the top-shelf global brands to cotton on, introducing the powerful and sumptuous Bentayga in 2015.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 14 July 2022
And regulators cotton on to certain tactics and try to crack down, well, the drug companies find another avenue.
—al, 18 Jan. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cotton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cotton
Cite this Entry
“Cotton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cotton. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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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