cotton ball

American  

[kot-n bawl] / ˈkɒt n ˌbɔl /

noun

1. a small ball of absorbent cotton.

   The vet showed me how to clean Poco’s ears with a cotton ball soaked in this solution.

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Etymology

Origin of cotton ball

First recorded in 1750–55

Example Sentences

I have cotton balls in my nostrils, an ice pack on my eye, and Neosporin on the cut on my nose.

From Literature

Your mouth will be full of gauze or cotton balls and your eyes will be half-closed like last call at a sports bar.

From Los Angeles Times

He also used paint-dipped cotton balls to make brightly colored pieces, like “Woman With Halo and Sceptre,” that referred back to ancient mosaic.

From New York Times

Someone had put cotton balls in the box so postal workers wouldn’t hear the snake’s rattle, the 60-year-old truck driver said.

From Los Angeles Times

With seeds that look like tiny cotton balls, the plant can produce clones of itself for hundreds or even thousands of years.

From Los Angeles Times