cornered

[ kawr-nerd ]

adjective

1. having corners (usually used in combination):

   a six-cornered room.

2. having a given number of positions; sided (usually used in combination):

   a four-cornered debate.

3. forced into an awkward, embarrassing, or inescapable position:

   a cornered debater; a cornered fox.

Other Words From

• un·cornered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cornered¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; corner, -ed ³

Example Sentences

China, on the other hand, has the minerals market pretty well cornered, from mining raw materials to refining and processing them.

From Singularity Hub 

Now, cornered but far from crippled by sanctions that initially did not include energy exports and still do not in Europe, Putin is using his colossal energy power to retaliate.

From Time

Alastair Sim had jowls like melting candle wax, a snarl like a cornered cat and eyes cold with contempt.

From The Daily Beast

With its eastern borders under siege from Russia, Ukrainians feel cornered and insecure.

From The Daily Beast

A whimpering, half-growl and curdled scream, a cornered-animal cry of a sound.

From The Daily Beast

Putin is cornered, according to Saakashvili, which is why he is lashing out.

From The Daily Beast

Perhaps feeling cornered by the UN report, North Korea launched a blame game of its own.

From The Daily Beast

Rat this pawn of the Eye may have been, but even a cornered rat will fight with the courage of a lion.

From Project Gutenberg

In fact, they were the real commanders, although the fire inspector had yellow and crimson feathers in his three-cornered hat.

From Project Gutenberg

Such a bear, they had heard, always preferred to run away, and was not much to be dreaded unless cornered or wounded.

From Project Gutenberg

Still no answer, while the scoundrel gazed about like a cornered cat, looking for chance to escape.

From Project Gutenberg

At first he brazened it out, and finally, when he was cornered, he turned state's evidence to save what he could of his own skin.

From Project Gutenberg