Jump To:

• cotton
  cotton

  noun

  a soft, white, downy substance consisting of the hairs or fibers attached to the seeds of plants belonging to the genus Gossypium, of the mallow family, used in making fabrics, thread, wadding, etc.
• Cotton
  Cotton

  noun

  John, 1584–1652, U.S. clergyman, colonist, and author (grandfather of Cotton Mather).

cotton

¹ American  

[kot-n] / ˈkɒt n /

noun

• cotton
  plural

1. a soft, white, downy substance consisting of the hairs or fibers attached to the seeds of plants belonging to the genus Gossypium, of the mallow family, used in making fabrics, thread, wadding, etc.

2. the plant itself, having spreading branches and broad, lobed leaves.

3. such plants collectively as a cultivated crop.

4. cloth, thread, a garment, etc., of cotton.

5. any soft, downy substance resembling cotton, but growing on other plants.

---

verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to get along; to agree (usually in the negative and followed bywith ).

   She didn't cotton with hypocrites.

   I don't cotton with conventional wisdom on this.

2. Obsolete. to prosper or succeed.

verb phrase

1. cotton (on) to

   1. to come to a full understanding of; grasp or realize.

      Once you cotton on to this principle, you see examples of it everywhere.

      Eventually both sets of parents cottoned on to the fact that the kids were lying about “studying” together.

   2. to become fond of; begin to like.

      I cottoned to the new girl right away when I saw she knew how to muck out a stall.

   3. to approve of; agree with.

      Some organic gardeners freeze the insects in a container and then put them out for the birds, but your kids may not cotton to this idea.

Cotton ² American  

[kot-n] / ˈkɒt n /

noun

1. John, 1584–1652, U.S. clergyman, colonist, and author (grandfather of Cotton Mather).

---

cotton ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒtən /

noun

1. any of various herbaceous plants and shrubs of the malvaceous genus Gossypium, such as sea-island cotton, cultivated in warm climates for the fibre surrounding the seeds and the oil within the seeds See also sea-island cotton

2. the soft white downy fibre of these plants: used to manufacture textiles

3. cotton plants collectively, as a cultivated crop

4. 1. a cloth or thread made from cotton fibres

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cotton dress

5. any substance, such as kapok ( silk cotton ), resembling cotton but obtained from other plants

---

Cotton ² British  

/ ˈkɒtən /

noun

1. Sir Henry. 1907–87, English golfer: three times winner of the British Open (1934, 1937, 1948)

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• semicotton
  noun
• cottony
  adjective
• half-cotton
  adjective
• uncottoned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cotton
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cotton

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cotoun, cot(e)in, from Old French coton, from Arabic quṭun, quṭn

Explanation

Cotton is a plant that grows the soft, fluffy fibers that are used to make the fabric also known as cotton. Cotton grows best in very warm climates. Cotton is a hugely important fiber, since it's used to make all kinds of clothing, bedding, and other things we use regularly. Your t-shirt, jeans, underwear, and socks are probably all made, at least in part, from cotton, and so is your bath towel, pillow case, and the curtains on your windows. If you use cotton as a verb, it's an informal way to say "take a liking to." This meaning has a Welsh root, cytuno, "agree."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cotton Cotton

He pointed to one of his favorite trees, a Japanese katsura, that smells like cotton candy when its leaves begin to fall in autumn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

It's handmade, from Ghana, and Betty, who sells it to me, says it's made of cotton.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

When soil organisms were more active, they broke down the cotton more quickly.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

It’s a piece of delicious, fluffy cotton candy, sweet and quick-dissolving.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

At the bottom of the container, there was a small pile of cotton squares, some stiff and brown, others merely dappled.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

When Mr. Trump named Judge Rudofsky to the district court, he was backed by both home-state Senators, John Boozman and Tom Cotton.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Cotton and linen are often comfortable because they absorb moisture and allow air movement, although fabric weave, thickness and moisture handling also matter.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

A vote on Clayton's nomination is expected next week, Senator Tom Cotton said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

But then the measure failed to get traction in the House, and Cotton has said the Senate’s OK four years ago only happened due to miscommunication.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Cotton was lining up bricks along the edge of the road, and Lenny was swinging a baseball bat at rocks that hit the road sign with a clang.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor