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

Islamism—not Islam—corrals both public discourse and political legitimacy over all Muslims. —Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025

Eggs throughout Mexico and the Texas coast were destroyed, but thousands along the Padre Island National Seashore—including those in the corral—were evacuated to safety. —Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2025

Verb

And in the Knicks’ 121-113 win in Game 4, Robinson corralled five offensive rebounds, picked up two assists and completed a pair of alley-oop dunks. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 May 2025

And only the best bed frames can corral everything together, pulling double duty as a statement piece of furniture and a durable, sturdy base that supports you night after night. —Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 12 May 2025

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

Rhymes for corral

• canal
• chorale
• ghazal
• locale
• morale
• royale
• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• pal
• sal

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