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cotton ball

American  
[kot-n bawl] / ˈkɒt n ˌbɔl /

noun

cotton balls plural
  1. a small ball of absorbent cotton.

    The vet showed me how to clean Poco’s ears with a cotton ball soaked in this solution.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of cotton ball

First recorded in 1750–55

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.

See Examples For:

Segura, the nurse, removed the tube from my arm and pressed a cotton ball to the needle prick.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 2, 2025

He’s just a crafty, ball-faking, footwork phenom with a touch as soft as a cotton ball.

From Seattle Times Mar. 22, 2023

The cleverest hack is to simply soak a cotton ball in your favorite essential oil, drop it in the bottom of your trash can under the liner, and voila!

From Salon Jun. 22, 2022

The material in the connective tissue gives it a loose consistency similar to a cotton ball that has been pulled apart.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

Large, light, cotton ball flakes gently sifted through the air, blanketing the campus in a kind of idyllic innocence.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

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