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cornered

cornered

4.5
In a place where you cannot escape and must face someone
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɔrnərd/
translation icon : acorralado
  • Find somebody that is backed into a corner and needs to sell.

You are cornered, you know it's over.

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Examples

  • When the detectives surrounded the suspect, he realized he was completely cornered and had nowhere to run.

  • I was like a cornered animal and I came out and attacked.

  • You are cornered, you know it's over.

  • So, so you know, the, the Russian leadership is entirely cornered where they know that just getting driven out of Ukraine is not an option.

  • It's not a it's a relaxed and like you got a guy cornered and who's most dangerous.

  • Do you feel cornered by that or do you think it doesn't matter if I'm into Cowboys tomorrow or if I want to go climbing, I could do that.

  • Your eyebrows take this unnatural arch, much like the Riddler when cornered by his foe, the Batman.

  • The mouse was trapped in the box, feeling absolutely cornered without any way to escape.

  • In the final moments of the game, the team felt cornered as they faced a stronger opponent and realized defeat was inevitable.

Synonyms

to corner
vscornered
93 4.9

To force a person or animal into a place they cannot leave

emphasizes being surrounded so confrontation becomes unavoidable
to pin down
vscornered
17 5.1

To make someone give a clear answer and stop avoiding it

adds the sense that surrounding forces make any escape and avoidance impossible
in a tight spot
vscornered
  • Informal
8 4.2

In a difficult situation that is hard to get out of

is stronger, stressing being surrounded so one must face the problem directly
boxed-in
vscornered
7 6.3

Feeling trapped by walls or rules that stop you moving

means more than feeling limited by space, implying escape is blocked and conflict follows
to box into a corner
vscornered
  • Informal
1 7.8

To leave someone with few or no good choices

focuses more on being enclosed so a direct confrontation cannot be avoided
treed
vscornered
  • Jargon
1 8.2

Unable to escape because others chased them into a high place

is similar but highlights being surrounded so one must face pursuers directly
mired
vscornered
1 7.8

In a bad situation that stops progress like being stuck in mud

is narrower, highlighting being enclosed so escape is impossible and confrontation results
trapped
vscornered
4.4

Unable to escape from a dangerous place or situation, for example when surrounded by attackers

stresses also that escape is blocked and confrontation must follow
besieged
vscornered
8.2

Surrounded by enemy soldiers and often under attack

is like this but more about being hemmed in leading to unavoidable confrontation
mousetrapped
vscornered
9.6

Tricked into a situation that is hard to leave

focuses more on being encircled so escape is impossible and facing others is required
confined
vscornered
3.7

Kept in one small space and unable to leave

adds the idea that being surrounded forces a direct confrontation rather than mere restriction

Compounds

Having three corners

A wild plant from Europe with three-sided leaves that can spread quickly

Involving three people or groups

A thing with pointed corners like a table or shelf that can hurt you

How Trapped

cornered
4.5
besieged
8.2
trapped
4.4

Surface Forms

cornered positive

Morphology

cornered = corner (transparent) = corner + ed

Standard participial/adjectival formation from the verb 'corner' meaning 'to trap', so learners who know 'corner' can infer the adjectival meaning.

Etymology

Cornered comes from corner, which once meant a 'horn' or sharp point, like the tip of an animal's horn. So to be cornered is like being pushed against that point with 'no way out', which is why it means 'trapped' and unable to escape.