Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Trapped or forced into a difficult position: Describes a situation where someone or something is surrounded or confined with limited or no means of escape, often by opponents or circumstances.
   • Having corners: Possessing a corner or corners (a less common meaning, primarily used in compound forms or specific contexts).

Usage and Examples

• Adjective (Trapped):

  • The police cornered the suspect in the alley. (The police trapped the suspect so he could not escape from the alley.)
  • With debts mounting, he felt financially cornered. (He felt trapped and without options due to his increasing debts.)
  • The cornered animal lashed out in fear. (The trapped animal attacked because it was afraid and had no way out.)

• Adjective (Having corners):

  • This meaning is typically seen in compound adjectives like sharp-cornered or descriptions.
  • The package was a six-cornered box. (The box had six corners.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be cornered": To be in a situation where escape or a favorable resolution seems impossible.

  • The negotiator was cornered by the reporter's persistent questions. (The negotiator was put in a difficult position by the reporter's unrelenting questions and had no good way to answer.)

• "To have someone cornered": To have successfully trapped or outmaneuvered someone.

  • In the debate, she had her opponent cornered on the issue of healthcare. (She put her opponent in a position where he could not effectively defend his stance on healthcare.)

Variants and Related Words

• Corner (noun): The point or area where two lines, edges, or sides meet; a difficult position.
• Corner (verb): To force a person or animal into a place or situation from which escape is difficult; to gain control of the supply of a commodity.
• Cornering (gerund/noun): The action of trapping someone or something or of going around a corner.

Synonyms

• Trapped: Caught and unable to get free.
• At bay: Forced to face attackers or pursuers (often used for animals).
• Hedged in: Confined or restricted on all sides.
• Pinned down: Prevented from moving or escaping.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Idioms

• Back/paint someone into a corner: To force someone into a difficult or inescapable situation.

  • His reckless statements painted him into a corner during the interview. (His statements created a situation he could not get out of during the interview.)

• Fight one's way out of a corner: To struggle to escape a very difficult situation.

  • The company is fighting its way out of a financial corner. (The company is struggling to resolve its severe financial problems.)

Adjective

1. forced to turn and face attackers
   • a stag at bay
   • she had me cornered between the porch and her car
   • like a trapped animal