cottonwood

noun

cot·​ton·​wood ˈkä-tᵊn-ˌwu̇d 

: any of several poplars having seeds with cottony hairs

especially : one (Populus deltoides) of the eastern and central U.S. often cultivated for its rapid growth and luxuriant foliage

Examples of cottonwood in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Watch for it on fruitless mulberries, catalpas, cottonwoods, silver maples, sycamores and others. —Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2025

This seven-mile trek winds through an impressive canyon filled with cottonwood, aspen and dogwood trees, and is the perfect spot to catch autumn’s changing colors. —Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 June 2025

On the ground around Tubac, between Tucson and Nogales, there’s a healthy cottonwood forest watered by a slender ribbon of crystalline water. —Shaun McKinnon, The Arizona Republic, 30 Sep. 2024

Here's how At Canyon de Chelly National Monument in northeastern Arizona, sheer cliffs plunge hundreds of feet to lush bottomlands lined with crops, pastures and cottonwood trees. —Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cottonwood

• adulthood
• babyhood
• brotherhood
• fatherhood
• firewood
• fuelwood
• hardihood
• ironwood
• leatherwood
• likelihood
• livelihood
• maidenhood

Kids Definition

cottonwood

noun

cot·​ton·​wood -ˌwu̇d 

: a poplar with a small bunch of cottony hairs on the seed

especially : one of the eastern and central U.S. that grows rapidly and produces many leaves