corridor

noun

cor·​ri·​dor ˈkȯr-ə-dər How to pronounce corridor (audio)
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

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 Aid shipments, the report said, have been constrained by direct strikes on humanitarian convoys, detention of humanitarian staff, road closures, checkpoints and related blockages or delays on main transportation corridors. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 Some things came in through this maritime corridor. CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 In order to make room for the bike and pedestrian improvements, some parking will be removed along the corridor. Will McCarthy, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 Also, up and down the short corridor, the walls are adorned with Sharpie graffiti from clerks long gone, who established a loose tradition of signing the wall on their last day on the job. Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 14 Mar. 2024 The maritime corridors, airdrops and truck convoys supplying aid are also running into the headwinds of Israeli politics. Matt Gutman, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024 British Foreign Secretary David Cameron then announced that the UK will join the US in opening an emergency maritime corridor. Aj Willingham, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 That fact has triggered increasing alarm in the corridors of Brussels, as the EU tries to understand how exactly those companies warp the economy around them. Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 6 Mar. 2024 As the slowest of the three options, the streetcars would travel the corridor in about 45½ minutes westbound and 44 minutes, 49 seconds eastbound. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'corridor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

1719, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of corridor was in 1719

Dictionary Entries Near corridor

Cite this Entry

“Corridor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corridor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

corridor

noun
cor·​ri·​dor ˈkȯr-əd-ər How to pronounce corridor (audio)
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

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