Definition

1. Noun:

   • A pen or enclosure for livestock, especially cattle or horses: A fenced area, often circular, used to confine and manage animals.
   • A defensive circle of wagons: A historical arrangement of wagons drawn into a circle for protection, as used by pioneers.

2. Verb:

   • To drive into and confine in a corral: To gather livestock into such an enclosure.
   • To gather, collect, or assemble people or things, often with effort: To bring together and secure something, typically in a controlled manner.
   • To form wagons into a defensive circle: To arrange wagons to create a protective enclosure.

Examples

• Noun:

  • The cowboys drove the herd into the wooden corral for branding.
  • At night, the settlers formed their wagons into a corral for safety.

• Verb:

  • We need to corral the horses before the storm hits.
  • The manager tried to corral the team for a quick meeting.
  • She managed to corral enough support to pass the new policy.

Advanced Usage

• "to corral something" (figurative): To gain control over something abstract or difficult to manage.
  • The project leader's main job was to corral the various ideas into a single plan.
• "to be corralled": To be gathered or confined, often implying a lack of freedom.
  • After the event, the reporters were corralled into a press area.

Variants and Related Words

• Corralling (gerund/noun): The act of gathering or confining.
  • The corralling of the cattle took all morning.
• Corraled/Corralled (past tense/participle): Both spellings are acceptable, with "corralled" being more common.

Synonyms

• Noun: Pen, enclosure, compound, pound, kraal (South African).
• Verb: Round up, herd, pen in, enclose, gather, collect, marshal, muster.

Related Phrases

• "corral the vote": To actively gather and secure votes, especially in a political context.
  • The candidate spent the final week trying to corral the vote in key districts.
• "corral resources": To assemble and organize available assets or materials.
  • The community corralled resources to help the family after the fire.

Noun

1. a pen for cattle

Verb

1. collect or gather
   • corralling votes for an election
2. arrange wagons so that they form a corral
3. enclose in a corral
   • corral the horses