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• corner
  corner

  noun

  the place at which two converging lines or surfaces meet.
• Corner
  Corner

  noun

  an area in central Australia, at the junction of the borders of Queensland and South Australia

corner

American  

[kawr-ner] / ˈkɔr nər /

noun

• corners
  plural

1. the place at which two converging lines or surfaces meet.

2. the space between two converging lines or surfaces near their intersection; angle.

   a chair in the corner of the room.

3. a projecting angle, especially of a rectangular figure or object.

   He bumped into the corner of the table.

4. the point where two streets meet.

   the corner of Market and Main Streets.

5. an end; margin; edge.

6. any narrow, secluded, or secret place.

7. an awkward or embarrassing position, especially one from which escape is impossible.

   Synonyms:

   dead end, impasse, predicament

8. Finance. a monopolizing or a monopoly of the available supply of a stock or commodity to a point permitting control of price (applied only when monopoly price is exacted).

9. region; part; quarter.

   from every corner of the empire.

10. Surveying.

    1. the point of intersection of the section lines of a land survey, often marked by a monument or some object, as a pipe that is set or driven into the ground.

    2. a stake, tree, or rock marking the intersection of property lines.

11. a piece to protect the corner of anything.

12. Baseball. Usually the corners first base or third base.

    Votto is out on strikes for the third out, and the Reds leave runners on the corners.

13. Baseball.

    1. any point on the line forming the left or right boundary of home plate.

       a pitch on the corner.

    2. the area formed by the intersection of the foul line and the outfield fence.

14. Boxing.

    1. the immediate area formed by any of the four angles in the ring.

    2. one of the two assigned corners where a boxer rests between rounds and behind which the handlers sit during a fight.

15. Soccer. corner kick.

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adjective

1. situated on or at a corner where two streets meet.

   a corner drugstore.

2. made to fit or be used in a corner.

   a corner cabinet.

verb (used with object)

• corners,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cornered,
  past participle,  past
• cornering
  present participle

1. to furnish with corners.

2. to place in or drive into a corner.

3. to force into an awkward or difficult position or one from which escape is impossible.

   He finally cornered the thief.

4. to gain control of (a stock, commodity, etc.).

verb (used without object)

• corners,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cornered,
  past participle,  past
• cornering
  present participle

1. to meet in or be situated on or at a corner.

2. to form a corner in a stock or commodity.

3. (of an automobile) to turn, especially at a speed relatively high for the angle of the turn involved.

idioms

1. turn the corner, to pass through a crisis safely.

   When the fever passed, we knew he had turned the corner.

2. cut corners,

   1. to use a shorter route.

   2. to reduce costs or care in execution.

      cutting corners to meet the foreign competition.

3. the four corners of the earth, the most distant or remote regions.

   They traveled to the four corners of the earth.

4. rough corners, rude, boorish, or unsophisticated characteristics, manners, or the like.

   Despite his rough corners, he was very likable.

corner ¹ British  

/ ˈkɔːnə /

noun

1. the place, position, or angle formed by the meeting of two converging lines or surfaces

2. a projecting angle of a solid object or figure

3. the place where two streets meet

4. any small, secluded, secret, or private place

5. a dangerous or awkward position, esp from which escape is difficult

   a tight corner

6. any part, region or place, esp a remote place

7. something used to protect or mark a corner, as of the hard cover of a book

8. commerce a monopoly over the supply of a commodity so that its market price can be controlled

9. soccer hockey a free kick or shot from the corner of the field, taken against a defending team when the ball goes out of play over their goal line after last touching one of their players

10. either of two opposite angles of a boxing ring in which the opponents take their rests

11. US name: dihedral.  mountaineering a junction between two rock faces forming an angle of between 60° and 120°

12. to do something in the easiest and shortest way, esp at the expense of high standards

13. close at hand

14. to pass the critical point (in an illness, etc)

15. (modifier) located on a corner

    a corner shop

16. (modifier) suitable or designed for a corner

    a corner table

17. logic either of a pair of symbols used in the same way as ordinary quotation marks to indicate quasi quotation See quasi-quotation

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verb

1. (tr) to manoeuvre (a person or animal) into a position from which escape is difficult or impossible

   finally they cornered the fox

2. (tr) to furnish or provide with corners

3. (tr) to place in or move into a corner

4. (tr)

   1. to acquire enough of (a commodity) to attain control of the market

   2. Also: engross.  to attain control of (a market) in such a manner Compare forestall

5. (intr) (of vehicles, etc) to turn a corner

6. (intr) to be situated on a corner

7. (intr) (in soccer, etc) to take a corner

Corner ² British  

noun

1. informal an area in central Australia, at the junction of the borders of Queensland and South Australia

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corner More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing corner

• around the corner
• cut corners
• four corners of the earth
• in a tight corner
• out of the corner of one's eye
• paint oneself into a corner
• turn the corner

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• corners
  plural

Participles

• cornering
  present
• cornered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• corner
  simple
• corners
  simple
• have cornered
  perfect
• has cornered
  perfect
• am cornering
  progressive
• are cornering
  progressive
• is cornering
  progressive
• have been cornering
  perfect progressive
• has been cornering
  perfect progressive

Past

• cornered
  simple
• had cornered
  perfect
• was cornering
  progressive
• were cornering
  progressive
• had been cornering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will corner
  simple
• will have cornered
  perfect
• will be cornering
  progressive
• will have been cornering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of corner

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Old French cornier(e), “a corner,” from Vulgar Latin corna, Latin cornua, plural of cornū “(animal) horn” + -er noun suffix; see origin at horn; see also cornu -er )

Explanation

Corners are everywhere. Two perpendicular lines form a corner. Rooms and streets have corners too. If a child misbehaves in class, the teacher might make him stand in the corner. The key to a corner is that it leads in two directions: when you look at the corner of a room, you could hang a picture to the right or left of the corner, but not in the corner itself. A street corner usually has a street sign and sometimes a bus stop, too. A square table has four corners, but a round table doesn't have any corner. Notice how when you look straight at a corner, there's nowhere to go? That's why corner is also a verb. If you say, "I cornered him," it means you trapped him and gave him nowhere to turn. Whenever we don't see a lot of options, we feel cornered.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

corner Corner corners cornered cornering

People say the final piece, the corner pieces, the edge pieces.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

After years of unsuccessful makeover attempts by previous management teams, the British luxury trench coat brand appears to be turning a corner and increased sales by 4% over the three months through June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said the move will "tackle the housing crisis and raise living standards in every corner of the country".

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The chili dog vendor, which has been at the corner of La Brea and Melrose for 80 years, is set to open its first location in Japan at the end of this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Harry was looking back over her shoulder, rounding the far corner of the drive-in hut.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Liz Luciano, an executive assistant to New York City financial and real-estate firms, frequently has to secure reservations for in-demand restaurants like The Corner Store or The Polo Bar for her bosses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

There was Dutch Corner, where an army of orange-clad supporters camped out for days and partied to EDM while waiting for the race.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

"Any given day out at our airport, there will be 80 to 100 private jets on the tarmac, primarily Yellowstone Club guests," says Corner.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Speaking outside court, McKee's sister Nichola Corner said the justice system had "completely failed" her family.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

The men on the Corner seemed to pay no attention to Mr. Charlie.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

The only time she appears to get emotional is during Hampstead - a ballad that deals with her portrayal in the media and the darker corners of the internet.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

To critics, it is a system that will cover up weaknesses in some corners of the AI marketplace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

What was once tucked into corners of the internet is now visible just beneath the sheen of any social media algorithm.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

Young men passing time on conspiracy theory-infested corners of Reddit should instead pick up a novel, the comedian argues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

He could sense her smugness as she slithered back to his desk, and he had to bite down on the corners of his mouth to kill his laughter.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Christ was cornered — pay taxes to Rome, or be branded a traitor — and so he turned the trap into a statement about the limits of power.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

On June 29, when another tremor cornered Gil even further, teams from El Salvador and Costa Rica entered through a parking lot connected to the area where they believed Gil was.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

The more exposed he is to the laughter, and the more cornered he feels, the more ridiculously he will have to respond—because he can’t admit to an error.

From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026

Vietnam has cornered the market on robusta since emerging from its war in the 1970s.

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

When she had everything stored at the back of the cave, she built a fire, boiled pumpkin, and toasted a few soldier termites she cornered in the baskets.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

With ambitions of cornering the electric vehicle market, India is also on the lookout for critical minerals such as lithium -- another resource Australia has in abundance.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Its cornering of an “extraordinary 90 percent of global production” of chemicals and dyes sparked fears of dependency among the Allies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Ferrari's strong starts and superior cornering speed puts them in the mix in the early laps, and the new hybrid engine with their "boost" and "overtake" modes leads to switching of positions for a while.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

No surprise, the CX-50 has some handles, with taut body control and keen line-tracing in transient cornering and braking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

“I — yes, Professor — but —” Filch looked yearningly up the stairs, right through Harry, who could see that he was very reluctant to forgo the chance of cornering Peeves.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• edge
• intersection
• rim