catercorner

1 of 2

cat·​er·​cor·​ner ˈki-tē-ˌkȯr-nər  ˈka-tē- 

ˈka-tə-

variants or catercornered

less common variants of kitty-corner

: in a diagonal or oblique position

the house stood kitty-corner across the square

kitty-corner

2 of 2

adverb or adjective

kit·​ty-cor·​ner ˈki-tē-ˌkȯr-nər  ˈka-tē- 

ˈka-tə-

variants or less commonly catty-corner

ˈki-tē-ˌkȯr-nər  ˈka-tē- 

ˈka-tə-

or catercorner

ˈki-tē-ˌkȯr-nər  ˈka-tē- 

ˈka-tə-

or kitty-cornered

ˈki-tē-ˌkȯr-nərd  ˈka-tē- 

ˈka-tə-

or catty-cornered

ˈki-tē-ˌkȯr-nərd  ˈka-tē- 

ˈka-tə-

or catercornered

ˈki-tē-ˌkȯr-nərd  ˈka-tē- 

ˈka-tə-

: in a diagonal or oblique position

the house stood kitty-corner across the square

Did you know?

Catercorner gets its first element from the Middle French noun quatre, meaning “four,” which English speakers modified to cater and applied to the four-dotted side of a die—a side important in several winning combinations in dice games. Perhaps because the four spots on a die can suggest an X, cater eventually came to be used dialectically as a verb meaning “to place, move, or cut across diagonally”; cater was later combined with corner to form catercorner to describe things positioned diagonally from each other. (In one early usage from an 1825 magazine article, the author marvels at an “ancient Roman fresco painting, in which a luxurious table is represented as groaning under (among other choice dishes …) four peacocks, with their tails set, cater-corner!”) Eventually the variants kitty-corner and catty-corner, which are now the more common forms, developed. Despite all appearances, these terms bear no etymological relation to our feline friends.

Synonyms of catercorner

Adverb or adjective

• diagonally
• across

Examples of catercorner in a Sentence

Adverb or adjective

walked kitty-corner across the quadrangle to the registration booth

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb or adjective

Before that, going back to 1953, the Chicago Greyhound terminal was located at Clark and Randolph streets in the Loo p— at the current site of the Grant Thornton Tower, across the street from the Daley Center and the Thompson Center, and kitty-corner from the City Hall-County Building complex. —Todd Feurer, CBS News, 17 June 2026

The public forum sits kitty-corner from the Northbrook Metra station. —Phil Rockrohr, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026

Just kitty-corner to the Hollywood Roosevelt, whose Tropicana pool and art deco lobby feel haunted – or blessed – by MGM ghosts, the Chinese Theatre is where those same stars once went to see their movies on the big screen. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 4 Jan. 2026

The store, which is kitty-corner to an Albertsons supermarket, was built by Safeway in 1950 with a Marina-style rounded roof. —Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2025

The low-income apartments will sit kitty-corner to the Townes at Kennedy-King, a recent townhome development by Onyx+East along the growing 22nd Street corridor. —Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 18 Aug. 2025

Detroit General Services Department Director Crystal Perkins told reporters on Rowan Street, not far from where the break occurred just kitty-corner to Martinez’s home, that the goal was to get the basements fully cleaned and sanitized so restoration can begin. —Darcie Moran, Freep.com, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb or adjective

kitty-corner alteration of cater-corner, from obsolete cater four + corner

First Known Use

Adverb Or Adjective

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for catercorner

• corner
• horner
• korner
• mourner

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Kids Definition

catercorner

cat·​er·​cor·​ner

variants or cater-cornered

variant of kitty-corner