corner chair: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1neutral, formal in furniture/design contexts, informal in sports contexts
Quick answer
What does “corner chair” mean?
A chair specifically designed to fit into a corner of a room, often with a triangular or quarter-circle seat shape that backs into the corner.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A chair specifically designed to fit into a corner of a room, often with a triangular or quarter-circle seat shape that backs into the corner.
A seat of authority or symbolic position, as in 'corner office' denotes a position of power. In sports, such as football (soccer) and boxing, the designated area where a player rests or receives instructions during a break (e.g., 'sent to his corner'). The point in a boxing ring where a boxer's team is stationed between rounds.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In furniture contexts, 'corner chair' is standard in both. In sports, BrE uses 'corner' for football/soccer (e.g., 'take a corner'), while AmE uses it for boxing (e.g., 'return to your corner') and baseball (the four bases). 'Corner office' as a symbol of executive power is more strongly associated with AmE corporate culture.
Connotations
In BrE, 'corner' in football connotes opportunity or danger. In AmE, a boxer's 'corner' connotes strategy, respite, and support. The furniture term is neutral.
Frequency
The furniture term is low-frequency in general discourse but high within interior design. The sports meanings are high-frequency within their respective sporting cultures.
Grammar
How to Use “corner chair” in a Sentence
[to] put/place a chair in the corner[to] sit in the corner chair[to] design a chair for the corner[to] retreat to one's corner (sports)Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “corner chair” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The defender managed to corner the attacker near the touchline.
- The interview cornered the politician with difficult questions.
American English
- The prosecution cornered the witness during cross-examination.
- The cowboy tried to corner the stray calf.
adverb
British English
- He turned the car sharp corner and sped away. (Note: 'corner' as adverb is rare; usually part of phrasal verb or compound).
American English
- She cut corner too close and scraped the fence. (See note for BrE).
adjective
British English
- They installed corner shelving to maximise space.
- It was a corner plot with more garden.
American English
- He has a corner office on the 40th floor.
- The store is on a corner lot, so it gets more traffic.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Metaphorical: 'He finally got the corner chair after his promotion' (less common than 'corner office').
Academic
Rare. Possibly in design history or sports science texts.
Everyday
Literal: 'We need a small corner chair for that awkward space.' Sports: 'The boxer's corner threw in the towel.'
Technical
In interior design/architecture: specifications for corner chair dimensions and ergonomics. In sports coaching: strategies for corner kicks or managing a boxer between rounds.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “corner chair”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “corner chair”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “corner chair”
- Using 'corner chair' to mean 'armchair' or 'the best chair'. Confusing 'in the corner' (static) with 'on/at the corner' (of a street). Overusing the furniture term in general metaphor.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not very. It's a specific term used mainly when discussing furniture placement or interior design. In everyday talk, people are more likely to say 'the chair in the corner'.
Yes. As a verb, 'to corner' means to force someone or something into a place or situation from which they cannot escape (e.g., 'The police cornered the suspect'), or to gain control of the supply of a commodity (e.g., 'to corner the market').
'In the corner' is for enclosed spaces (a room, a box). 'At the corner' is for connecting lines (streets, corridors). You sit 'in the corner' of a room, but you meet someone 'at the corner' of 5th Avenue and Main Street.
Corner offices typically have windows on two walls, offering more light, better views, and greater privacy. In traditional office buildings, they are often larger and reserved for senior executives, hence becoming a metonym for high status and authority.
A chair specifically designed to fit into a corner of a room, often with a triangular or quarter-circle seat shape that backs into the corner.
Corner chair is usually neutral, formal in furniture/design contexts, informal in sports contexts in register.
Corner chair: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkɔː.nə ˌtʃeə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkɔːr.nɚ ˌtʃer/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “just around the corner”
- “cut corners”
- “a tight corner”
- “paint oneself into a corner”
- “fight one's corner”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a chair that is shy – it always sits in the CORNER, facing the room.
Conceptual Metaphor
CORNER IS A POSITION OF ISOLATION OR STRATEGY. A corner can be a place of refuge, observation, or entrapment depending on context.
Practice
Quiz
In which context does 'corner chair' MOST LIKELY refer to a physical piece of furniture?