corral

1 of 2

noun

cor·​ral kə-ˈral 

-ˈrel

1

: a pen or enclosure for confining or capturing livestock

herded the cattle into the corral

2

: an enclosure made with wagons for defense of an encampment

corral

2 of 2

verb

corralled; corralling

transitive verb

1

: to enclose in a corral (see corral entry 1 sense 1)

corralled the horses

2

: to arrange (wagons) so as to form a corral (see corral entry 1 sense 2)

3

: collect, gather

corralling votes for the upcoming election

Synonyms

Noun

• cage
• coop
• hutch
• pen
• pound

Verb

• box (in)
• cage
• closet
• coop (up)
• encage
• encase
• enclose
• inclose
• envelop
• fence (in)
• hedge
• hem (in)
• house
• immure
• include
• mew (up)
• pen
• wall (in)

Examples of corral in a Sentence

Noun

the horses live in our corral, along with a cow

Verb

corralled everyone in the conference room for a speech by the CEO

corralled a scattering of stray pens and quickly stuffed them in the drawer to tidy the desk

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Riders will be able to rent scooters and bikes through both the Lyft and Bird apps and more than 100 parking corrals will remain in operation, according to the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. —Katie Langford, The Denver Post, 26 Nov. 2024

Marked by rolling hills, fall foliage, a covered bridge and a swimming pond, Lucky Dog Farms also has a corral full of Palomino horses, a splattering of guest cottages with luscious bedding, and living plant wall near the garage. —Brienne Walsh, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Verb

When his home run finally landed, it was corralled by 10-year-old Dodgers fan Zachary Ruderman. —Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 22 Nov. 2024

After losing 135-122 to the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 8, the Heat ranked only 20th in points allowed per 100 possessions while allowing opponents to corral more than half of the available rebound opportunities. —James Jackson, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Spanish, from Vulgar Latin *currale enclosure for vehicles, from Latin currus cart, from currere to run — more at car

First Known Use

Noun

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1847, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

corral

1 of 2 noun

cor·​ral kə-ˈral 

1

: a pen for keeping or capturing livestock

2

: an enclosure made with wagons for defense of a camp

corral

2 of 2 verb

corralled; corralling

1

: to keep in or as if in a corral

2

: surround entry 1, capture

3

: to arrange wagons so as to form a corral