cotton ball

[kot-n bawl]

noun

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cotton ball¹

First recorded in 1750–55

Example Sentences

Your mouth will be full of gauze or cotton balls and your eyes will be half-closed like last call at a sports bar.

From Los Angeles Times

He also used paint-dipped cotton balls to make brightly colored pieces, like “Woman With Halo and Sceptre,” that referred back to ancient mosaic.

From New York Times

Someone had put cotton balls in the box so postal workers wouldn’t hear the snake’s rattle, the 60-year-old truck driver said.

From Los Angeles Times

With seeds that look like tiny cotton balls, the plant can produce clones of itself for hundreds or even thousands of years.

From Los Angeles Times

They’ve also shown that, when given access to cotton balls dipped in insecticide, the finches will build nests with them—essentially fumigating their own nests in the process.

From National Geographic