street corner

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The spot where two streets cross or meet.

   Grammar: Often with on or at: on the street corner.

   Patterns

   • on the street corner
   • at the street corner

   Meet me at the street corner near the bakery.

   A flower stall stood on the street corner.

   The accident happened at a busy street corner.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A public place where people gather, stand around or sell things, often a sign of informal city life.

   Grammar: Often used for informal activity: street-corner music.

   Patterns

   • a street-corner preacher
   • on a street corner

   A man sold newspapers from a street corner.

   Teenagers gather on the street corner after school.

   A band played on the street corner for tips.

Word forms

Common combinations

on the street corner

He waited on the street corner for his ride.

busy street corner

A busy street corner is a good place for a shop.

street-corner preacher

The street-corner preacher drew a small crowd.

street-corner conversation

Street-corner conversation spread the news quickly.

turn the street corner

The cyclist turned the street corner too fast.

Synonyms and how they differ

intersection

Intersection is the formal, traffic word for where roads cross, while street corner is the everyday word.

crossroads

Crossroads suggests a place where roads cross in the country or a big decision point.

junction

Junction is British and used for where roads or tracks join.

corner

Corner is short for the same thing but can also mean any angle.

Word family

corner noun

the place where two edges or streets meet

street noun

a public road in a town

cornerstone noun

an important basic part of something

streetwise adjective

clever about city life

Commonly confused: street corner or intersection? street corner or corner shop?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “street corner”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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