corridor

noun

cor·​ri·​dor ˈkȯr-ə-dər 

ˈkär-, 

-ˌdȯr 

1

a

: a passageway (as in a hotel or office building) into which compartments or rooms open

b

: a place or position in which especially political power is wielded through discussion and deal-making

was excluded from the corridors of power after losing the election

2

: a usually narrow passageway or route: such as

a

: a narrow strip of land through foreign-held territory

b

: a restricted lane for air traffic

c

: a land path used by migrating animals

3

a

: a densely populated strip of land including two or more major cities

… the Northeast corridor stretching from Washington into New England …

—S. D. Browne

b

: an area or stretch of land identified by a specific common characteristic or purpose

a corridor of liberalism

the city's industrial corridor

Synonyms of corridor

• region
• neck
• land
• part(s)

Examples of corridor in a Sentence

They pushed me down the hospital corridor to the operating room.

A corridor of land lies between the two mountain ranges.

Recent Examples on the Web

The parking lot was eventually fenced off after multiple attempts by the city to get CVS and the property owner to better safeguard what was once an anchor property for Snelling-University, two of the city’s busiest commerical corridors. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Mar. 2026

Second, the Legislature should pass AB 1777, which would strengthen California’s authority to address freight pollution hotspots without relying on uncertain federal waivers — critical for a region anchored by major ports and freight corridors. —Bob Keefe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026

At a time when major economies are searching for locations that combine sovereign capital, engineering talent, energy security, and political coordination, the Israel-Gulf corridor stands out. —Judah Taub, semafor.com, 18 Mar. 2026

Formerly known as First Street, the corridor was named for Chavez in 1993, shortly after his death. —Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

earlier "covered passageway, path surrounding fortifications," borrowed from French, borrowed from regional Italian (by-form of Tuscan corridoio), from correre "to run" (going back to Latin currere) + -idore, going back to Latin -i-tōrium (from -i- -i- + -tōrium, suffix of place, from neuter of -tōrius, adjective derivative of -tōr-, -tor, agent suffix) — more at current entry 1

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

corridor

noun

cor·​ri·​dor ˈkȯr-əd-ər 

ˈkär-, 

-ə-ˌdȯ(ə)r

1

: a passageway (as in a school) into which compartments or rooms open

2

: a narrow strip of land especially through territory held by an enemy

Etymology

from early French corridor "passageway," from early Italian corridore (same meaning), from correre "to run," from Latin currere "to run" — related to course, current