cornered
Americanadjective
-
having corners (usually used in combination).
a six-cornered room.
-
having a given number of positions; sided (usually used in combination).
a four-cornered debate.
-
forced into an awkward, embarrassing, or inescapable position.
a cornered debater; a cornered fox.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cornered
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at corner, -ed 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Prime Video has cornered the market on young-adult fiction, catering to a massive audience of women and girls who want to escape into love stories.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
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
Created in 2017, Binance has cornered much of the crypto-trading market, turning its co-founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao into a billionaire.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
We’re frankly confused how Auchincloss cornered himself into this one.
From Slate ● May 30, 2026
When she cornered me in the hall one morning and started to tell me how sorry she was about Jim, how she just didn’t know how I felt, I looked right through her.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
