corner
the point at which two lines or edges meet
Watch the baby – that table has sharp corners.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
corner
noun
a place where two lines, walls or roads meet:
Put the lamp in the corner of the room.
The shop is on the corner of East Avenue and Union Street.
He drove round the corner at top speed.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
corner
I. cor‧ner1 S1 W2 /ˈkɔːnə $ ˈkɔːrnər/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: cornere, from corne 'horn, corner', from Latin cornu 'horn, point']
1. WHERE TWO LINES/EDGES MEET [countable] the point at which two lines or edges meet:
He pulled a dirty handkerchief out by its corner and waved it at me.
corner of
Their initials were sewn on the corner of every pillow.
in the corner (of something)
The TV station’s name appears in the corner of the screen.
on the corner (of something)
Jessie sat on the corner of her bed.
three-cornered/four-cornered etc
a three-cornered hat
2. ROAD [countable usually singular]
a) the point where two roads meet
corner of
Ruth walked with her as far as the corner of the road.
on the corner
The hotel is on the corner of 5th and Maine.
at the corner
Several women were standing at the corner, talking to two police officers.
kids hanging around on street corners
b) a point in a road where it turns sharply:
He had tried to take the corner too quickly, and had lost control of the car.
The petrol station is around the corner.
3. CORNER OF A ROOM/BOX [countable usually singular] the place inside a room or box where two walls or sides meet
in the corner (of something)
There was an old piano in the corner of the living room.
corner table/seat
I reserved a corner table in my favourite restaurant.
4. MOUTH/EYE [countable] the sides of your mouth or eyes:
A tear appeared in the corner of his eye.
5. DIFFICULT SITUATION [singular] a difficult situation that you cannot easily escape from
back/box/force/push somebody into a corner (=put someone into a situation where they do not have any choices about what to do)
Don’t let your enemies back you into a corner.
The writers have painted themselves into a corner by killing off all the most popular characters in the first series.
He found himself in a tight corner (=a very difficult situation) looking for a way to get out.
6. SPORTS [countable]
a) a kick or hit that one team is allowed to take from one of the corners of their opponent’s end of the field
b) any of the four corners of the area in which the competitors fight in ↑boxing or ↑wrestling, especially one of the two corners where the competitors go in between ↑rounds
7. DISTANT PLACE [countable] a distant place in another part of the world
corner of
She’s gone off to work in some remote corner of the world.
People came from the four corners of the world (=from lots of different places) to make America their new home.
8. see something out of the corner of your eye to notice something accidentally, without turning your head towards it or looking for it:
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the dog running towards her.
9. (just) around/round the corner
a) near:
There’s a bus stop just around the corner.
b) likely to happen soon:
Economic recovery is just around the corner.
10. turn the corner to start to become successful or to feel better or happier, after a time when you have been unsuccessful, ill, or unhappy:
We knew Dad had turned the corner when he started complaining about the hospital food.
11. fight your corner/fight sb’s corner British English to try very hard to defend yourself in a discussion or argument, or to do this for someone else:
My line manager supports me, and says she’s willing to fight my corner.
12. cut corners to save time, money, or energy by doing things quickly and not as carefully as you should:
Don’t try to cut corners when you’re decorating.
13. cut a corner to go across the corner of something, especially a road, instead of staying next to the edges
14. have/get a corner on something to be the only company, organization etc that has a particular product, ability, advantage etc:
London does not have a corner on film festivals.
The company admitted reducing prices to get a corner on the market.
⇨ kitty-corner
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ adjectives
▪ the top/bottom corner The ball flew straight into the top corner of the net.
▪ the left/left-hand corner We followed the path to the left-hand corner of the field.
▪ the right/right-hand corner Put your address in the top right-hand corner of the page.
▪ the southeast/northwest etc corner of something I was staying in the southwest corner of the island.
▪ the four corners of something Each team was based in one of the four corners of the pool.
▪ the far/opposite corner of something (=furthest from where you are) Something was moving in the far right corner of the garden.
▪ a quiet corner He sat on his own in a quiet corner of the library.
▪ a shady corner (=protected from the sun - used about outdoor places) Plant the herbs in a shady corner of the garden.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + corner
▪ a tight/sharp corner (=very curved and difficult to drive around) Go slowly because there’s a sharp corner up ahead.
▪ a blind corner (=one that you cannot see around) The car had come speeding around a blind corner much too fast.
▪ a street corner There’s a newspaper shop on the street corner.
■ verbs
▪ turn the corner (=go around a corner) I walked on and turned the corner into Church Road.
▪ come/go around a corner At that moment, a police car came around the corner.
▪ round a corner (=come around it) A tall good-looking man rounded the corner.
▪ take a corner (=go around a corner in a car) He took the corner too fast and crashed into a tree.
▪ disappear around a corner We watched the two boys disappear around the corner.
▪ cut a corner (=not go all around the edge of a corner) I crashed into a motorcyclist who had cut the corner.
▪ stand on a corner She stood on the corner saying goodnight to Michael.
II. corner2 BrE AmE verb
1. [transitive] to force a person or animal into a position from which they cannot easily escape:
Once the dog was cornered, he began to growl.
2. [transitive] to go to someone who is trying to avoid you, and make them listen to you:
Later, he cornered Jenny on the stairs and asked her what was wrong.
3. corner the market to gain control of the whole supply of a particular kind of goods:
They’ve been trying to corner the market by buying up all the wheat in sight.
4. [intransitive] if a car corners, it goes around a corner or bend in the road
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ catch to stop someone who is trying to escape, especially by running after them and then holding them: He raced after her, but he couldn’t catch her. | The police caught the bank robbers after a car chase through the city.
▪ arrest if the police arrest someone, they take him or her to a police station because they think that person has done something illegal: Wayne was arrested for dangerous driving. | The police arrested him and charged him with murder.
▪ apprehend formal if the police apprehend someone they think has done something illegal, they catch him or her: The two men were later apprehended after they robbed another store. | The killers were never apprehended. | All of the kidnappers were apprehended and convicted.
▪ capture to catch an enemy or a criminal in order to keep them as a prisoner: The French king was captured by the English at the battle of Poitiers in 1356. | The gunmen were finally captured after a shoot-out with the police.
▪ take somebody prisoner to catch someone, especially in a war, in order to keep them as a prisoner: 350 soldiers were killed and another 300 taken prisoner. | Ellison was taken prisoner by the Germans during the retreat to Dunkirk.
▪ trap to make someone go to a place from which they cannot escape, especially by using your skill and intelligence: Police trapped the man inside a bar on the city’s southside.
▪ corner to force someone into a place from which they cannot escape: He was cornered outside the school by three gang members.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
corner
cor·ner [corner corners cornered cornering] noun, verb [ˈkɔːnə(r)] [ˈkɔːrnər]
noun
OF BUILDING/OBJECT/SHAPE
1. a part of sth where two or more sides, lines or edges join
• the four corners of a square
• Write your address in the top right-hand corner of the letter.
• I hit my knee on the corner of the table.
• A smile lifted the corner of his mouth.
• a speck of dirt in the corner of her eye
-CORNERED
2. (in adjectives) with the number of corners mentioned; involving the number of groups mentioned
• a three-cornered hat
• a three-cornered fight
OF ROOM/BOX
3. the place inside a room or a box where two sides join; the area around this place
• There was a television in the far corner of the room.
• a corner table/seat/cupboard
OF ROADS
4. a place where two streets join
• There was a group of youths standing on the street corner.
• Turn right at the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards.
• There's a hotel on/at the corner of my street.
• The wind hit him as he turned the corner.
5. a sharp bend in a road
• The car was taking the corners too fast.
AREA/REGION
6. a region or an area of a place (sometimes used for one that is far away or difficult to reach)
• She lives in a quiet corner of rural Yorkshire.
• Students come here from the four corners of the world.
• He knew every corner of the old town.
DIFFICULT SITUATION
7. usually singular a difficult situation
• to back/drive/force sb into a corner
• They had got her in a corner, and there wasn't much she could do about it.
• He was used to talking his way out of tight corners.
IN SPORT
8. (in sports such as football ( soccer ) and hockey) a free kick or hit that you take from the corner of your opponent's end of the field
• to take a corner
• The referee awarded a corner.
see also corner kick
9. (in boxing and wrestling) any of the four corners of a ring; the supporters who help in the corner
more at fight your corner at fight v., a tight spot/corner at tight
Word Origin:
Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French, based on Latin cornu ‘horn, tip, corner’.
Thesaurus:
corner noun C
• There was a group of youths standing on the street corner.
bend • • turn • • twist • • zigzag • |BrE hairpin bend • |AmE hairpin curve/turn •
around/round/at/on a corner/bend/hairpin bend/hairpin curve
a sharp corner/bend/turn/twist
round/take a corner/bend/hairpin bend
Example Bank:
• A white van came round the corner.
• As they turned the corner all the bags slid to one side.
• Beckham took the corner and Scholes headed it into the net.
• He found a quiet corner and got on with his work.
• He managed to force a corner.
• He parked in the far corner of the car park.
• He pushed the thought back into the darkest corner of his mind.
• He put the goalkeeper under pressure and managed to force a corner.
• He took a seat in the far corner of the cafe.
• He was used to having to talk his way out of tight corners.
• I hate coming out of that lane because it's a blind corner.
• I'm in a bit of a corner over finding staff for Friday evening.
• It's a rather sharp corner and she took it a little too fast.
• James blocked the shot but conceded a corner.
• Make sure the staircase is well lit, with no awkward corners.
• Moore took the corner.
• Put your address in the top right-hand corner of the page.
• She sat in a dark corner of the room.
• She tucked herself away in a corner and read all day.
• Smooth rounded corners make cleaning easier.
• The box had been tucked away in an odd corner of the attic.
• The waiter led us to a corner table.
• There were a lot of young men hanging about on street corners.
• They chose a table right in the corner of the restaurant.
• They had got her in a corner and there was nothing she could do about it.
• Turn right at the first corner.
• Welcome to our little corner of Philadelphia.
• a cool shady corner of the garden
• a remote corner of Afghanistan
• at the corner of West Street and Park Street
• the bank on the corner of Mount Street
• the four corners of his bed
• the local corner shop/store
• He had her backed into a corner a couple of times with new facts she didn't know.
• It is important to avoid being pushed into a corner.
• The wind hit him as he turned the corner.
• There was a large group of youths standing on the street corner.
• There's a hotel on the corner of my street.
• They had got him into a corner and there wasn't much he could do about it.
• Turn right at the corner of Avalon Road and Radnor Street.
Idioms: cut corners ▪ cut the corner ▪ round the corner ▪ see something out of the corner of your eye ▪ turn the corner
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
corner / ˈkɔː.nə r / / ˈkɔːr.nɚ / noun [ C ]
A2 the point, area, or line that is formed by the meeting of two lines, surfaces, roads, etc.:
You drive round corners too fast - just slow down a bit!
There's a postbox on the corner (= the place where the street crosses another) .
Click the icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
I've got a bruise where I hit my leg against the corner of the table.
They only live just around/round the corner (= very close although not in the same road) - so we see them all the time.
C2 a part of a larger area, often somewhere quiet or far away:
They live in a remote corner of Scotland, miles from the nearest store.
a kick in football or a shot in hockey that is taken from the corner of the playing area
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
corner
[kɔ͟ː(r)nə(r)]
♦♦
corners, cornering, cornered
1) N-COUNT: usu with supp A corner is a point or an area where two or more edges, sides, or surfaces of something join.
He saw the corner of a magazine sticking out from under the blanket...
Write `By Airmail' in the top left hand corner.
2) N-COUNT The corner of a room, box, or similar space is the area inside it where its edges or walls meet.
...a card table in the corner of the living room...
The ball hurtled into the far corner of the net...
Finally I spotted it, in a dark corner over by the piano.
3) N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n The corner of your mouth or eye is the side of it.
She flicked a crumb off the corner of her mouth...
Out of the corner of her eye she saw that a car had stopped.
4) N-COUNT: usu with supp The corner of a street is the place where one of its sides ends as it joins another street.
She would spend the day hanging round street corners...
We can't have police officers on every corner...
He waited until the man had turned a corner.
5) N-COUNT A corner is a bend in a road.
...a sharp corner...
The road is a succession of hairpin bends, hills, and blind corners.
Syn:
bend
6) N-COUNT: with supp, usu N of n If you talk about the corners of the world, a country, or some other place, you are referring to places that are far away or difficult to get to. [WRITTEN]
Buyers came from all corners of the world...
The group has been living in a remote corner of the Cambodian jungle.
7) N-COUNT In soccer, hockey, and some other sports, a corner is a free shot or kick taken from the corner of the pitch.
12) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If you say that something is around the corner, you mean that it will happen very soon. In British English, you can also say that something is round the corner.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer says that economic recovery is just around the corner.
Syn:
imminent
13) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If you say that something is around the corner, you mean that it is very near. In British English, you can also say that something is round the corner.
My new place is just around the corner.
14) PHRASE: V inflects (disapproval) If you cut corners, you do something quickly by doing it in a less thorough way than you should.
Take your time, don't cut corners and follow instructions to the letter.
15) PHRASE: PHR n You can use expressions such as the four corners of the world to refer to places that are a long way from each other. [WRITTEN]
They've combed the four corners of the world for the best accessories...
Young people came from the four corners of the nation.
16) PHRASE: N inflects, v-link PHR, PHR after v If you are in a corner or in a tight corner, you are in a situation which is difficult to deal with and get out of.
The government is in a corner on interest rates...
He appears to have backed himself into a tight corner.
Syn:
tight spot
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1cor·ner /ˈkoɚnɚ/ noun, pl -ners [count]
1 : the point or area where two lines, edges, or sides of something meet
• the corner of a box/table/tablecloth
• A post marks the corner of the property.
• Write your name in the upper right-hand corner of the page.
• He caught the ball in the corner of the end zone.
• the northeast corner of the state
• We sat at a table in a corner of the room.
2 a : the place where two streets or roads meet
• a street corner
• The hotel is at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street.
• A group of teenagers were hanging around on the corner.
• He went to the grocery store around/round the corner from the bank.
b : a curve in a road
• She knew there was a gas station just around the corner. [=after the curve]
• The car took the corner [=drove around the curve in the road] too fast and went off the road.
- see also (just) around the corner (below), turn the corner (below)
3 : the side of your mouth or eye
• He said something out of the corner of his mouth to the person standing next to him.
• There was a tear in the corner of her eye.
• I saw something out of the corner of my eye. [=I saw something to the side of where I was looking]
4 : one of four parts of a boxing ring where the sides meet
• The boxers returned to their corners when the round ended.
- often used figuratively to describe people, groups, etc., that are opposing or fighting each other
• In one corner you have the music industry, and in the other, those who want music but don't want to pay for it.
✦Someone who gives you help and support is in your corner.
• I am going to need you in my corner when I go to court.
5 a : a place that is private or secret or that few people know about or visit
• They live in a quiet corner of the town.
- often used figuratively
• a memory that lies in some dark corner of his mind
b : a place that is far away
• His influence extends to every corner of the state.
• She is famous in every corner of the world. [=throughout the world]
• People came from the four corners of the earth [=from everywhere; from all over] to see the sight.
6 : a position that you cannot easily get out of : a difficult situation
• The city is in a tight corner financially. [=is in a bad financial position]
• The candidate backed/painted himself into a corner [=put himself in a bad position] by proposing a tax increase.
7 soccer : corner kick
cut corners often disapproving : to save time or money by doing less than you usually do or than you should do
• We don't have enough money to pay for everything, so we'll have to cut corners somewhere.
• You should never cut corners on safety.
have/get a corner on : to have or get enough of (something) to be able to control its price
• He has a corner on the silver market.
- often used figuratively
• He acts like he has a corner on new ideas. [=like he is the only person who has new ideas]
(just) around the corner : coming or happening very soon
• The politicians say that a stronger economy is just around the corner. [=that the economy will become stronger very soon]
• Summer vacation is around the corner.
turn the corner : to get past the most difficult area or period in something and begin to improve
• The company claims it has turned the corner and will be profitable soon.
2corner adj always used before a noun : located at a corner
• a corner office
• We ate in a corner booth at the restaurant.
• a corner shop/store
