cotton to

verb

1. to become friendly with

2. to approve of

cotton to

1. To take a liking to someone or something: “I was afraid Janet wouldn't like my brother, but she cottoned to him immediately.”

Idioms and Phrases

Take a liking to, get along with, as in This dog doesn't cotton to strangers . Although this verbal phrase comes from the noun for the fabric, the semantic connection between these parts of speech is unclear. [Early 1800s]

Also, cotton on to . Come to understand, grasp, as in She didn't really cotton on to what I was saying . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

Example Sentences

Residents had wanted council leader John Cotton to attend, Mr Hussain said, but he declined.

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At the time, striking workers insisted they were only stopping lorries if they had safety concerns, but ugly scenes prompted Labour council leader John Cotton to condemn what he called "violence".

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She called on council leader John Cotton to "stop playing games, get in the room and solve this dispute".

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Striking workers insisted they were only stopping lorries if they had safety concerns, but ugly scenes prompted Labour council leader John Cotton to condemn what he called "violence".

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Tshwete, incarcerated on Robben Island with Mandela, practically moved McGeechan and Cotton to tears when he recounted his experiences of listening to those radios and hearing how they brought the Springboks to their knees.

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