cotton candy

American  

noun

• cotton candies
  plural

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

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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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cotton candies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cotton candy

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cotton candy

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

The food and drink offerings lean playful and nostalgic, with cotton candy, popcorn, loaded milkshakes, cocktails, mocktails and plenty of other treats to keep the fun going between games.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

But the perfect moment under cotton candy skies happened during the band’s penultimate song, “A Long December” off 1996’s “Recovering the Satellites.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 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

Some even hold bags of cotton candy in their laps—bags!

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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