to corner
- verb
- /ˈkɔrnər/
- We've got them cornered about two miles down the road.
I just feel like I've been like cornered into this direction.
- I just feel like I've been like cornered into this direction.
- And my father used to say, never corner a weak man, you will regret it.
- I mean, we, the West, definitely pushed Putin and cornered him.
- And they, and next thing you know, they're on the tree and they start to, they start to like corner the the squirrel.
- And then she she cornered a friend of mine and made disparaging remarks about her baby.
Examples
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Well, it looks like Dog Man has just cornered Petey, the World's Most Evilest Cat.
-
Irene had us cornered out there for 15 minutes.
-
This is what happens when you corner a rat.
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And my father used to say, never corner a weak man, you will regret it.
-
Now it seemed she had him cornered, and there was no escape.
Fiction book (1990) -
In less than a minute, they had the children cornered against a tall bank.
Fiction book (1994) -
Some of the Italian boys cornered Jimmy one afternoon and demanded he empty his pockets for them.
Fiction book (1993) -
Jeff hurries after him and catches up, cornering Billy between two cars, trying to calm him.
Fiction book (1997) -
With the determination of a hedgehog, she cornered Brenna in the back of the stables and then lunged forward.
Fiction book (1997) -
When they realized he was cornered in the alley, they knew he had no way to escape.
Synonyms
To catch and hold someone or something so they cannot leave
Surround a person or thing so they cannot leave
To put someone or something into a small space with bars to stop them moving freely
To leave someone with few or no good choices
To keep a person or animal inside a small space like a cage
To force a person or animal up a tree so they cannot escape
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Put yourself in a difficult situation with no easy way out
Phrasal Verbs
To control most of the supply of a product so you can set its price and keep competitors out
Compounds
A kick in football taken from the corner after a defender last touched the ball for the attacking team
A corner on a road where drivers cannot see around because something blocks the view
- Archaic
A man in old minstrel shows who sits at one end of performers and makes jokes with the main speaker
How Trapped
Surface Forms
Etymology
To corner someone or an animal means to force them into a place they cannot escape, and this idea links back to the noun corner and the Latin cornu 'horn', suggesting being pushed up against a horn-like point or wall. So being 'cornered' is being trapped.