/ ˈkɔːnə(r); NAmE ˈkɔːrn-/ noun , verb
■ 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 sing. ] 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
•
IDIOMS
- (just) around / round the corner
- cut corners
- cut the corner
—more at fight verb
•
IDIOMS
- see sth out of the corner of your eye
- turn the corner
—more at tight
■ verb
TRAP SB
1.
[ vn ] [ often passive ] to get a person or an animal into a place or situation from which they cannot escape :
The man was finally cornered by police in a garage.
If cornered, the snake will defend itself.
2.
[ vn ] to go towards sb in a determined way, because you want to speak to them :
I found myself cornered by her on the stairs.
THE MARKET
3.
[ vn ] corner the market (in sth) to get control of the trade in a particular type of goods :
They've cornered the market in silver.
OF VEHICLE / DRIVER
4.
[ v ] ( BrE ) to go around a corner :
The car has excellent cornering (= it is easy to steer around corners) .
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Anglo-Norman French , based on Latin cornu horn, tip, corner.