cotton candy

American  

noun

1. a fluffy, sweet confection whipped from spun sugar and gathered or wound around a stick or cone-shaped paper core.

---

cotton candy British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): candyfloss.  Austral name: fairyfloss.  a very light fluffy confection made from coloured spun sugar, usually held on a stick

---

Etymology

Origin of cotton candy

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

Example Sentences

The exposition popularized a host of snack foods that would become staples of American life, including ice-cream cones, peanut butter, hot dogs, hamburgers and cotton candy.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

I can see how it might feel like it’s been treated like a ball of cotton candy to give it away.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

This combination makes them extraordinarily low in density -- more like planetary-sized cotton candy than solid, rocky worlds.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2026

Save room for the inventive desserts like the banana split topped with cotton candy.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

It smelled like popcorn dripping with butter, cookie-dough ice cream, and fresh-spun cotton candy.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi