cotton
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.
the plant itself, having spreading branches and broad, lobed leaves.
such plants collectively as a cultivated crop.
cloth, thread, a garment, etc., of cotton.
any soft, downy substance resembling cotton, but growing on other plants.
Informal. to get along; to agree (usually in the negative and followed by with): She didn't cotton with hypocrites.I don't cotton with conventional wisdom on this.
Obsolete. to prosper or succeed.
cotton (on) to, Informal.
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.
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.
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.
Origin of cotton
1Other words from cotton
- half-cot·ton, adjective
- sem·i·cot·ton, noun
- un·cot·toned, adjective
Other definitions for Cotton (2 of 2)
John, 1584–1652, U.S. clergyman, colonist, and author (grandfather of Cotton Mather).
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cotton in a sentence
The civilian side of the U.S. mission, on the other hand, was finally cottoning on.
Let me tell her about the stir you are making up here, about the Judge cottoning to you, and the Governor asking you to dinner.
A Romance of Billy-Goat Hill | Alice Hegan Rice
British Dictionary definitions for cotton (1 of 2)
/ (ˈkɒtən) /
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
the soft white downy fibre of these plants: used to manufacture textiles
cotton plants collectively, as a cultivated crop
a cloth or thread made from cotton fibres
(as modifier): a cotton dress
any substance, such as kapok (silk cotton), resembling cotton but obtained from other plants
Origin of cotton
1Derived forms of cotton
- cottony, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Cotton (2 of 2)
/ (ˈkɒtən) /
Sir Henry. 1907–87, English golfer: three times winner of the British Open (1934, 1937, 1948)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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