corral

[kuh-ral]

noun

1. an enclosure or pen for horses, cattle, etc.

2. a circular enclosure formed by wagons during an encampment, as by covered wagons crossing the North American plains in the 19th century, for defense against attack.

verb (used with object)

corralled, corralling 

1. to confine in or as if in a corral.

2. Informal.

   1. to seize; capture.

   2. to collect, gather, or garner.

      to corral votes.

3. to form (wagons) into a corral.

corral

/ kɒˈrɑːl /

noun

1. an enclosure for confining cattle or horses

2. (formerly) a defensive enclosure formed by a ring of covered wagons

verb

1. to drive into and confine in or as in a corral

2. informal,  to capture

Word History and Origins

Origin of corral¹

1575–85; < Spanish < Late Latin *currāle enclosure for carts, equivalent to Latin curr ( us ) wagon, cart (derivative of currere to run) + -āle, neuter of -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of corral¹

C16: from Spanish, from Vulgar Latin currāle (unattested) area for vehicles, from Latin currus wagon, from currere to run

Example Sentences

Instead, she has to corral a denomination increasingly torn between conservatives, many in Africa, and liberals, particularly in the U.S.

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First, though: one final run-through of the show with the dancers she’s recruited to complement her own movement, which she describes as “quite wild and difficult to corral.”

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The White House press secretary is depicted corralling the president, sporting a large cross necklace, as she often does during press briefings.

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Members of the Long Beach Police and Fire departments used boats to help corral the giant shipping crates.

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Either way, the point is to corral chaos into a plan.

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