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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

Etymology

Origin of cotton

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

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

The 2011 “Snake” dress, an oily, coiling swarm made of black polyvinyl, cotton and tulle, is a Hieronymus Bosch horror, everyone’s nightmare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Younes adds that "investors, customers, employees, and everyday people" in more than 60 countries have bought Palantir's gear, which includes a cotton jacket.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

The testing method is simple: a patient breathes into a cotton mask for about 10 minutes, and the mask is then sealed in a bag and taken to the lab.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

Because these tears smell like cotton after a rainstorm in rural Georgia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

“And that is a field of cotton grass.”

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

“She was taking care of them and feeding them and listening to their stories and crying with them,” said her best friend, Kelli Cotton.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

With the boll weevil finishing off King Cotton, paper producers’ “plant ’em thick, cut ’em quick” approach spread.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

It was the hottest day for more than two weeks, when 35.2C was also recorded in Cotton in the Elms, Derbyshire, on 10 July.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Cotton and linen are often comfortable because they absorb moisture and allow air movement, although fabric weave, thickness and moisture handling also matter.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Cotton and needles in steel trays rattled on carts that busy nurses pushed before them.

From "Tasting the Sky" by Ibtisam Barakat