cottonwood
noun
cot·ton·wood
| \ ˈkä-tᵊn-ˌwu̇d
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Definition of cottonwood
: 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
About 15 years ago, Strauss used genetic engineering to create cottonwood trees that resist pests and herbicides. — Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Scientists say sustainable forestry organizations should lift ban on biotech trees," 23 Aug. 2019 After all, those were the colors of money. — A hundred feet beneath the bridge, near a clump of cottonwoods that clung to the south shore of the river, Jimmy Shandell sat in the moonlit shadows, smoking dope. — Larry Millett, Twin Cities, "From the archives: Murder-on-a-stick: A Pioneer Press serial mystery novel (Chapter 1)," 21 Aug. 2019 Most of the book consists of acetate squares, each of which seems to imprison a different autumn leaf: the scarlet of maple; the neon-yellow of cottonwood; the green of birch and eucalyptus. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Board Books That Aren’t Boring," 1 Nov. 2018 Jarrod Marotto was driving down a residential street in Bridgeport on Wednesday night when lightning struck a nearby cottonwood tree around 5:15 p.m., the Associated Press reported. — Char Adams, PEOPLE.com, "Connecticut Man, 21, Dead After Large Tree Branch Struck by Lightning Falls Onto His Car," 18 July 2019 The 2,600-acre fire was ignited when two decayed cottonwood trees toppled onto an electrical power line owned by San Miguel Power, according to a Thursday news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. — Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Power company will pay Feds $1.3 million after igniting Beaver Fire," 11 July 2019 Fall, with brilliant colors adorning the larch, aspen, birch, cottonwood and other trees, is delightful as well. — John Briley, Washington Post, "Better than Banff? In British Columbia, Nelson is a contender," 20 June 2019 Colorado College State of the Rockies project specialist Cyndy Hines pointed to cottonwood trees, box elders, willows and rare flowers. — Bruce Finley, The Denver Post, "A run through Colorado’s Yampa whitewater reveals the wildness that remains. But will the West’s rivers survive urban demands?," 23 June 2019 Many of the trees — which included red oaks, cedar elms, cottonwoods and pecan trees — were thicker and more mature than their prospective replacements. — Hayat Norimine, Dallas News, "Dallas officials estimate the city's parks lost more than 600 trees in storm," 19 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cottonwood.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cottonwood
cottonwood
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cottonwood
: a type of tree that grows in the U.S. and has seeds that look like they are covered with cotton
See the full definition for cottonwood in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cottonwood
noun
cot·ton·wood
| \ ˈkä-tᵊn-ˌwu̇d
\
\
Kids Definition of cottonwood
: a poplar tree that has seeds with bunches of hairs resembling cotton