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• cotton
  cotton

  noun

  a soft, white, downy substance consisting of the hairs or fibers attached to the seeds of plants belonging to the genus Gossypium, of the mallow family, used in making fabrics, thread, wadding, etc.
• Cotton
  Cotton

  noun

  John, 1584–1652, U.S. clergyman, colonist, and author (grandfather of Cotton Mather).

cotton

¹ American  

[kot-n] / ˈkɒt n /

noun

• cotton
  plural

1. a soft, white, downy substance consisting of the hairs or fibers attached to the seeds of plants belonging to the genus Gossypium, of the mallow family, used in making fabrics, thread, wadding, etc.

2. the plant itself, having spreading branches and broad, lobed leaves.

3. such plants collectively as a cultivated crop.

4. cloth, thread, a garment, etc., of cotton.

5. any soft, downy substance resembling cotton, but growing on other plants.

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verb (used without object)

1. Informal. to get along; to agree (usually in the negative and followed bywith ).

   She didn't cotton with hypocrites.

   I don't cotton with conventional wisdom on this.

2. Obsolete. to prosper or succeed.

verb phrase

1. cotton (on) to

   1. to come to a full understanding of; grasp or realize.

      Once you cotton on to this principle, you see examples of it everywhere.

      Eventually both sets of parents cottoned on to the fact that the kids were lying about “studying” together.

   2. to become fond of; begin to like.

      I cottoned to the new girl right away when I saw she knew how to muck out a stall.

   3. to approve of; agree with.

      Some organic gardeners freeze the insects in a container and then put them out for the birds, but your kids may not cotton to this idea.

Cotton ² American  

[kot-n] / ˈkɒt n /

noun

1. John, 1584–1652, U.S. clergyman, colonist, and author (grandfather of Cotton Mather).

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cotton ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒtən /

noun

1. any of various herbaceous plants and shrubs of the malvaceous genus Gossypium, such as sea-island cotton, cultivated in warm climates for the fibre surrounding the seeds and the oil within the seeds See also sea-island cotton

2. the soft white downy fibre of these plants: used to manufacture textiles

3. cotton plants collectively, as a cultivated crop

4. 1. a cloth or thread made from cotton fibres

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cotton dress

5. any substance, such as kapok ( silk cotton ), resembling cotton but obtained from other plants

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Cotton ² British  

/ ˈkɒtən /

noun

1. Sir Henry. 1907–87, English golfer: three times winner of the British Open (1934, 1937, 1948)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• semicotton
  noun
• cottony
  adjective
• half-cotton
  adjective
• uncottoned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cotton
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cotton

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English cotoun, cot(e)in, from Old French coton, from Arabic quṭun, quṭn

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Explanation

Cotton is a plant that grows the soft, fluffy fibers that are used to make the fabric also known as cotton. Cotton grows best in very warm climates. Cotton is a hugely important fiber, since it's used to make all kinds of clothing, bedding, and other things we use regularly. Your t-shirt, jeans, underwear, and socks are probably all made, at least in part, from cotton, and so is your bath towel, pillow case, and the curtains on your windows. If you use cotton as a verb, it's an informal way to say "take a liking to." This meaning has a Welsh root, cytuno, "agree."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cotton Cotton

Farmworkers – who harvested cotton, vegetables and fruits — organized and marched for roughly 400 miles from the Valley to Austin to demand fair wages and better working conditions.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026

Researchers first collected plaque samples using cotton swabs on one side of each participant's mouth.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

Usually seen in stone screens, the motif is just as crisply cut here in cotton rag, the voids in its surface allowing us to peek at the text inside.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

While the U.S. restricts companies from importing goods such as cotton and textiles from the region, in general it doesn’t prohibit American firms from selling there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Instead of fields of tamed cotton, I see a crowd of red-faced people.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Judge Huey P. Cotton ruled that Avila can either agree to a reduced award of $9.5 million in damages or undergo a new trial for the damages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

A Prevention of Future Deaths report into the death of Sophie Cotton in County Durham, external said the policy appeared to overlook that mental health teams could not enter locked premises.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The actor plays the legendary composer during a late-in-life meeting with the king of Prussia in a play by Oliver Cotton at Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre Company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Frederick was a modestly talented flutist and composer, although here, as written by Mr. Cotton and played by Stephen Hagan, he’s mostly a full-time amoral tyrant and part-time self-important fop.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

‘My Nibs is with them. But you can go and help him, if you have a mind,’ said Farmer Cotton with a grin.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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