cotton wool

noun

: raw cotton
especially : cotton batting

Examples of cotton wool in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cloth buttons used to be constructed around bits of cotton wool to absorb and emanate drops of perfume. Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024 Wrapped in cotton wool by their parents and absorbed by their online lives, young people aren’t transitioning into adulthood in a healthy way, Haidt argues. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 29 Mar. 2024 People meeting Andy Warhol for the first time often emerge from the experience feeling as though their brains had been systematically stuffed with a mixture of cotton wool and Brillo. Stephen Birmingham, Town & Country, 10 Aug. 2023 The small, spongy end pieces look a bit like cotton wool, and indeed, some have been made using cotton. Cassie Werber, Quartz, 13 June 2023 But fireworks shows seen through cotton wool are another fine old New Year’s tradition in the Port City, and the celebration greeting 2022 was a far cry from the silence at the dawn of 2021. al, 1 Jan. 2022 The masks are partly filled with organic cotton wool creating the puffiness of the coat. Cassell Ferere, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021 Take your cotton balls (or any kind of cotton wool, really) and soak it in acetone. Alexis Gaskin, Marie Claire, 22 Sep. 2021 One teenager left New York for college and encountered the children of the Midwest, most of whom looked to have been wrapped in cotton wool their entire lives. Craig Taylor, Time, 24 Mar. 2021

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

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cotton wool was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cotton wool

Cite this Entry

“Cotton wool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cotton%20wool. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

cotton-wool

noun
British
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