cotton ball
Americannoun
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.
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
I don rubber gloves and soak a cotton ball with it, then rub it in for about two minutes.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
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
She dabbed at his face with a cotton ball soaked in peroxide.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
![]()
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.