What does "corner" mean?
The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.
Corner
/ˈkɔːnə(ɹ)/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang
intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.
- Grammar: corner is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: nook, angle, cranny, recess.
- Useful contrasts: advantage, back off, center.
- Usage evidence: Could we have a table in the corner?
How to use "corner"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "corner" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "corner" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "corner" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "corner" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "corner" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "nook" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "corner", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.
"The corners of the wire mesh were reinforced with little blobs of solder."
- 2 One who corns, or preserves food in salt.
"Big firms received rebates from railroads in which they owned stock, paid off city officials in order to obtain a low-cost water supply, and fought meat-inspection laws, and meat packers speculated in pork and beef corners."
- 3 the intersection of two streets wordnet
- 4 The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.; The space in the angle between converging lines or walls which meet in a point.
"The chimney corner was full of cobwebs."
- 5 (architecture) solid exterior angle of a building; especially one formed by a cornerstone wordnet
Show 26 more definitions
- 6 The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.; The projection into space of an angle in a solid object.
"Herbert bruised his shin on the corner of the coffee table."
- 7 an interior angle formed by two meeting walls wordnet
- 8 The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.; An intersection of two streets; any of the four outer points off the street at that intersection.
"The liquor store on the corner also sold lottery tickets."
- 9 the point where two lines meet or intersect wordnet
- 10 The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.; The neighborhood surrounding an intersection of rural roads. Maine
- 11 a place off to the side of an area wordnet
- 12 The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.; Denoting a premises that is in a convenient local location, notionally, but not necessarily literally, on the corner of two streets. attributive
"corner store, corner deli, corner newsagent"
- 13 a remote area wordnet
- 14 An edge or extremity; the part farthest from the center; hence, any quarter or part, or the direction in which it lies.
"Shining a light in the dark corners of the mind. I took a trip out to his corner of town."
- 15 the point where three areas or surfaces meet or intersect wordnet
- 16 A secret or secluded place; a remote or out of the way place; a nook.
"On weekends, Emily liked to find a quiet corner and curl up with a good book."
- 17 a projecting part where two sides or edges meet wordnet
- 18 An embarrassing situation; a difficulty.
- 19 a small concavity wordnet
- 20 A sufficient interest in a salable security or commodity to allow the cornering party to influence prices.
"In the 1970s, private investors tried to get a corner on the silver market, but were ultimately unsuccessful."
- 21 a predicament from which a skillful or graceful escape is impossible wordnet
- 22 A sufficient interest in a salable security or commodity to allow the cornering party to influence prices.; Complete control or ownership of something. figuratively
"It's not my oppression, it's not your oppression but rather our oppression. No one of us has a corner on oppression."
- 23 a temporary monopoly on a kind of commercial trade wordnet
- 24 Relating to the playing field.; One of the four vertices of the strike zone.
"The pitch was just off the corner, low and outside."
- 25 Relating to the playing field.; First base or third base.
"There are runners on the corners with just one out."
- 26 Relating to the playing field.; A corner kick.
- 27 Relating to the playing field.; A cornerback.
- 28 Relating to the playing field.; The corner of the ring, which is where the boxer rests before and during a fight.
- 29 Relating to the playing field.; The group of people who assist a boxer during a bout. broadly
- 30 A place where people meet for a particular purpose.
"Welcome to our English corner."
- 31 A point scored in a rubber at whist. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To drive (someone or something) into a corner or other confined space. transitive
"The cat had cornered a cricket between the sofa and the television stand."
- 2 turn a corner wordnet
- 3 To trap in a position of great difficulty or hopeless embarrassment. transitive
"The reporter cornered the politician by pointing out the hypocrisy of his position on mandatory sentencing, in light of the politician's own actions in court."
- 4 force a person or an animal into a position from which they cannot escape wordnet
- 5 To put (someone) in an awkward situation. transitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 gain control over wordnet
- 7 To get sufficient command of (a stock, commodity, etc.), so as to be able to manipulate its price. transitive
"The buyers attempted to corner the shares of the railroad stock, so as to facilitate their buyout."
- 8 To turn a corner or drive around a curve. transitive
"As the stock car driver cornered the last turn, he lost control and spun out."
- 9 To handle while moving around a corner in a road or otherwise turning. intransitive
"That BMW corners well, but the suspension is too stiff."
- 10 To supply with corners. transitive
"Tool for cornering and cutting off copper switch blades"
Intj
- 1 Spoken by service staff such as waiters when walking around a corner, to warn other staff and prevent a collision.
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 Ellipsis of Hyde Park Corner. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 3 An unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, at the "corner" of three counties. countable, uncountable
- 4 The Tattersalls horse repository and betting rooms, originally located at Hyde Park Corner. archaic, broadly, colloquial
"Indeed, the whole aspect of the Corner, with its open space and green lawns, is so different from what it once was that it requires a glance at the sturdy brick wall of Buckingham Palace Gardens […] to assure the wanderer that, after all, nothing very revolutionary has occurred, and that things are much as they used to be twenty years ago."
- 5 A township in Custer County, Nebraska, United States; it is in the north-east corner of the county. countable, uncountable
Example
"Could we have a table in the corner?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "corner"?
Common synonyms include: nook, angle, cranny, recess, a corner on, aberrancy.
How do you use "corner" in a sentence?
Could we have a table in the corner?
How do you pronounce "corner"?
Pronounced /ˈkɔːnə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English corner, from Anglo-Norman cornere (compare Old French cornier, corniere (“corner”)), from Old French corne (“corner, angle”, literally “a horn, projecting point”), from Vulgar Latin *corna (“horn”), from Latin cornua, plural of cornū (“projecting point, end, horn”). The sense of "angle, corner" in Old French is not found in Latin or other Romance languages. It was possibly calqued from Frankish *hurnijā (“corner, angle”), which is similar to, and derived from *hurn, the Frankish word for "horn". Displaced native cognate Middle English hirn, herne, from Old English hyrne, from Proto-Germanic *hurnijǭ (“little horn, hook, angle, corner”), whence modern English hirn (“nook, corner”), itself related to horn.
Etymology 2
From corn + -er. Piecewise doublet of grainer.