cotton gin
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of cotton gin
An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He is best known for his invention of the cotton gin, a machine that transformed cotton production, with tragic consequences for workers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025
Keeping up with the pace of technology has challenged Congress since the steam engine and the cotton gin transformed the nation’s industrial and agricultural sectors.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2024
The unincorporated area comprises Woodlawn Missionary Baptist, a cotton gin and some houses.
From New York Times • May 29, 2023
On a Friday at the community cotton gin, farmers and retired farmers gathered for their weekly coffee and doughnut meet-up, which also includes the Baptist pastor and the school superintendent, Bric Turner.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2023
He say he want to fight but got to stay home and run his daddy’s cotton gin.
From "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
