cater-cornered

[ kat-i-kawr-nerd, kat-ee-, kat-er- ]

/ ˈkæt ɪˌkɔr nərd, ˈkæt i-, ˈkæt ər- /

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See synonyms for cater-cornered on Thesaurus.com

adjective

diagonal.

adverb

diagonally.

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Also cat·er·cor·ner, cat·er-cor·ner, cat·ty-cor·ner, cat·ty-cor·nered, kit·ty-cor·ner, kit·ty-cor·nered .

Origin of cater-cornered

First recorded in 1830–40; dialectal cater (adverb) diagonally (probably to be identified with obsolete cater “four,” from Middle French, quatre, from Latin quattuor ) + cornered

Words nearby cater-cornered

catenation, catenoid, catenulate, cater, cateran, cater-cornered, cater-cousin, caterer, Caterina, catering, caterpillar

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cater-cornered in a sentence

Alastair Sim had jowls like melting candle wax, a snarl like a cornered cat and eyes cold with contempt.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With its eastern borders under siege from Russia, Ukrainians feel cornered and insecure.
The Great Wall of Ukraine|Vijai Maheshwari|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A whimpering, half-growl and curdled scream, a cornered-animal cry of a sound.
The ‘Hunted’ Gays of Putin’s Russia: Vicious Vigilantes and State Bigotry Close Up|Tim Teeman|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And you can expect designers and retailers to cater to them too.
Scarlet Is the New Black|Raquel Laneri|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Putin is cornered, according to Saakashvili, which is why he is lashing out.
U.S. Military Chief Compares Putin’s Ukraine Move to Stalin’s Invasion of Poland|Josh Rogin|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rat this pawn of the Eye may have been, but even a cornered rat will fight with the courage of a lion.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
In fact, they were the real commanders, although the fire inspector had yellow and crimson feathers in his three-cornered hat.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
Such a bear, they had heard, always preferred to run away, and was not much to be dreaded unless cornered or wounded.
Gold-Seeking on the Dalton Trail|Arthur R. Thompson
Still no answer, while the scoundrel gazed about like a cornered cat, looking for chance to escape.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
At first he brazened it out, and finally, when he was cornered, he turned state's evidence to save what he could of his own skin.
In the Onyx Lobby|Carolyn Wells

British Dictionary definitions for cater-cornered

cater-cornered

/ (ˈkætəˌkɔːnəd) /

adjective, adverb

US and Canadian informal diagonally placed; diagonalAlso: catty-cornered, kitty-cornered

Word Origin for cater-cornered

C16 cater, from dialect cater (adv) diagonally, from obsolete cater (n) four-spot of dice, from Old French quatre four, from Latin quattuor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cater-cornered

Origin of cater-cornered

Words nearby cater-cornered

Words related to cater-cornered

How to use cater-cornered in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cater-cornered

Word Origin for cater-cornered