From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcotton woolˌcotton ˈwool noun [uncountable] British English 1 DCBa soft mass of cotton that you use especially for cleaning and protecting wounds She put some disinfectant on a piece of cotton wool and dabbed it on her cheek.2 → wrap somebody (up) in cotton wool
Examples from the Corpus
cotton wool• On the other hand you don't wrap things up in cotton wool.• You are on a globe that looks like a crystal ball or a marble in a light bed of cotton wool.• He soaked bits of cotton wool in essential oils and passed it under the noses of his patients.• The ears can be made out of felt and a small tail can be made of cotton wool.• My fingers seemed to be made of cotton wool.• The intertwining of the thin, twisted worms produces an appearance similar to that of cotton wool.• Keep your toes apart with cotton wool, tissues or rubber toe-spacers. 