cotton gin

noun

: a machine that separates the seeds, hulls, and foreign material from cotton

Examples of cotton gin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dorie Ladner was 11 months younger than Emmett Till, an African American who was 14 when he was lynched in the Mississippi Delta in 1955, his mutilated body tethered with barbed wire to a cotton gin fan and submerged in the Tallahatchie River. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 But Philippon’s findings, bolstered by Goldman Sachs’s note, should provide a solid source of comfort, and a strong rebuttal to a pro-office boss: Humans have been becoming gradually less productive since Eli Whitney debuted the cotton gin—why, even with rapidly advancing AI, would that change now? Jane Thier, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023 Days after Till was killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman, his body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, where it was tossed after being weighted down with a cotton gin fan. Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, 24 Feb. 2022 The Calico Rose quilt shop in Florence now has one, as do Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, the Todd Farms General Store in Headland, the Hugh Kaul Children’s Zoo Barn at the Birmingham Zoo and even the historic cotton gin just off the town square in Moulton, which boasts a colorful cotton boll square. Michelle Matthews | Mmatthews@al.com, al, 13 July 2022 The company converted the historic cotton gin manufacturing plant into office and retail space. Steve Brown, Dallas News, 24 June 2023 The unincorporated area comprises Woodlawn Missionary Baptist, a cotton gin and some houses. Rick Rojas, New York Times, 29 May 2023 His body was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River, weighed down with a cotton gin fan tied to his body with barbed wire. Grace Hauck, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2023 His body was tethered with barbed wire to a cotton gin fan and submerged in the Tallahatchie River. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cotton gin.' 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

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cotton gin was in 1796

Dictionary Entries Near cotton gin

Cite this Entry

“Cotton gin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cotton%20gin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cotton gin

noun
: a machine that separates the seeds, hulls, and foreign material from cotton

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