How to Use cotton in a Sentence

cotton

1 of 2 noun
  • They are in the field picking cotton.
  • She doesn't wear cotton in the winter.
  • It’s made with a smooth cotton blend that holds its shape.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026
  • The holes have cotton whiskers that add to the grungy look.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Once wet, cotton takes a long time to dry and will sap your heat.
    — Dan Basso, Freep.com, 20 Jan. 2026
  • The cotton is thick and structured but still soft.
    — Shea Simmons, PEOPLE, 22 May 2026
  • Just wipe off with a cotton round and move on with your routine.
    — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Just make sure to keep that cotton swap on hand for fast blending!
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Ditch the leggings and fleece sweats for these cozy cotton pants.
    — Olivia Bria, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026
  • This soft cotton sateen sheet set is a best-seller for the brand.
    — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Or use a soft, lint-free cotton cloth instead.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The cigar then touched off cotton goods stored in the warehouse.
    — Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Store produce in mesh or cotton bags.
    — Ryan Brennan may 11, Miami Herald, 11 May 2026
  • If so, take the cotton out of your ears and put it into your mouth.
    — Bea Lewis, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024
  • Loose cotton or merino socks work best.
    — Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 12 May 2026
  • Loose cotton or merino socks work best.
    — Allison Palmer, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
  • Think breathable, soft cotton blends that keep you cool all day.
    — Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
  • They were charred, covered in cotton sheets.
    — Fazelminallah Qazizai, NPR, 19 Mar. 2026
  • It’s made out of a cotton-linen blend that’s breathable for warm days.
    — Madeline Merinuk, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
  • The idea is that mice will collect the cotton and bring it back to their nests.
    — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 2 June 2026
  • Work a touch of sport in by teaming it up with a bomber cotton zip-up.
    — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Made out of a cotton-blend, these sweatpant jeans feel as soft as a cloud.
    — Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Some pests can be wiped off with a clean cotton cloth with a few drops of neem oil on it.
    — Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 12 May 2026
  • It’s made with soft, skin-friendly cotton.
    — Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2025
  • They’re made of 100% cotton for a soft, smooth feel.
    — Jacquelyn Smith, Parents, 30 Jan. 2026
  • If your gloves should be hand-washed, follow the steps for cotton gloves above.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 8 June 2026
  • They are made of cotton with a slight stretch, but still have structure in the front.
    — Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 7 Oct. 2025
  • It’s made of a soft cotton blend and hits right at the hips for the perfect length.
    — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Packed full, a cotton sack could weigh 100 pounds or more.
    — Susan Degrane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
  • The pair keeps you cool on hot days thanks to the wider leg and cotton-blend fabric.
    — Madeline Merinuk, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026

cotton

2 of 2 verb
  • Maybe voters didn’t cotton to her valentine to the ’80s, which is a shame.
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 23 Nov. 2021
  • Young women were among the first to cotton on to TikTok’s appeal.
    — Rachel Monroe, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2020
  • The animals don't cotton to coyotes but are docile and shy toward people and Kias.
    — Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 17 Feb. 2020
  • The lad is practically addicted to diving at this stage, but at least everyone seems to be cottoning on to that fact.
    — SI.com, 3 Sep. 2019
  • But in the past year or so, some manufacturers have cottoned on to the idea and started releasing devices that can keep up with more than a dozen tabs.
    — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, 27 Sep. 2018
  • But not everyone will cotton to a former business district that still lacks many residential amenities.
    — C. J. Hughes, New York Times, 26 May 2017
  • When washed, textiles using HV100 perform closer to cotton with highs and lows.
    — Carved, Sourcing Journal, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The concept never quite cottoned with consumers though and the stores were more of a curiosity than a mass market phenomenon.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
  • And regulators cotton on to certain tactics and try to crack down, well, the drug companies find another avenue.
    — al, 18 Jan. 2022
  • As more players adopted the Panenka, goalkeepers cottoned on.
    — The Economist, 18 July 2019
  • If relay is 15% cheaper than conventional trucking, as Mr Garg claims, others will cotton on.
    — The Economist, 30 Sep. 2017
  • Conscious consumers have cottoned onto this, and are now looking for products formulated with zero, or very little, water or those that can be used without (or with less) water.
    — refinery29.com, 6 Feb. 2020
  • Hopefully, moderates will cotton on to these new political realities and join a unified Democratic team.
    — Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 13 Sep. 2021
  • Bentley was the first of the top-shelf global brands to cotton on, introducing the powerful and sumptuous Bentayga in 2015.
    — Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 14 July 2022
  • By the 1980s, the rallying crowd had cottoned on and started sending increasingly specialized cars to Colorado.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 19 Mar. 2018
  • While the Kitchen had increasingly opened its doors to fusions of minimalism and rock music practiced by fellow downtown composers like Rhys Chatham, the avant-garde had not cottoned onto disco.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 27 June 2026
  • Induction electric stoves seem to be finally making serious inroads in the American market after many years of slow uptake, as people cotton on to the danger of gas and the nifty properties of induction.
    — Ryan Cooper, The Week, 14 Sep. 2021
  • But Liverpool supporters cottoned on to his comments pretty quickly, taking the very first opportunity to correct the two-time Premier League champion.
    — SI.com, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Disappointingly, for those of us who cottoned to the folktale of a new economy driven by brilliant little Edisons and Teslas in Everlane, technological breakthroughs were, by 2015, believed to be too easily copied.
    — Wired, 22 Oct. 2019
  • Jo Hale/Getty Image What To Know Born during the Great Depression to cotton farmers in Texas, Curtis was a childhood friend of Buddy Holly and played a crucial role in rock music's early development.
    — Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
  • OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by Guy Stokely and his son, entrepreneur Tim Stokely, who cottoned onto the notion of enabling influencers to monetize their content themselves, as The New York Times described in a 2019 company profile.
    — Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Born during the Great Depression to cotton farmers outside of Meadow, Texas, Curtis was a childhood friend of Buddy Holly’s and an active musician in the formative years of rock, whether jamming on guitar with Holly in the mid-1950s or opening for Elvis Presley when Elvis was still a regional act.
    — Hillel Italie, Twin Cities, 22 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cotton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: