Cotton on – English Phrasal Verb – Online English Lessons

To cotton on is to begin to understand or know something.

Informal English.

Often used with ‘to’.

Examples of use:

1. He has cottoned on to what we are planning for his birthday!

2. Do you think she will cotton on to the fact that they are going on holiday without her?

3. My students sometimes find it difficult to understand how to use phrasal verbs, but they always cotton on in the end.

infinitive
cotton
present simple
cotton on and cottons on
-ing form
cottoning on
past simple
cottoned on
past participle
cottoned on

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