A pen for animals; esp., an inclosure made with wagons, by emigrants in the vicinity of hostile Indians, as a place of security for horses, cattle, etc. [1913 Webster]

corral, v. t.

To surround and inclose; to coop up; to put into an inclosed space; -- primarily used with reference to securing horses and cattle in an inclosure of wagons while traversing the plains, but in the Southwestern United States now colloquially applied to the capturing, securing, or penning of anything. Bartlett. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

corral, n. & v.
--n.
1 US a pen for cattle, horses, etc.
2 an enclosure for capturing wild animals.
3 esp. US hist. a defensive enclosure of wagons in an encampment.
--v.tr. (corralled, corralling)
1 put or keep in a corral.
2 form (wagons) into a corral.
3 US colloq. acquire.

Etymology

Sp. & OPort. (as KRAAL)

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THESAURUS

corral

accumulate, acquire, agglomerate, aggregate, aggroup, amass, assemble, bag, batch, be seized of, beleaguer, beset, besiege, blockade, bound, box in, bring together, bulk, bunch, bunch together, bunch up, cage, capture, catch, chamber, close in, clump, cluster, collect, colligate, collocate, combine, come by, come in for, come into, compare, compass, compile, conglomerate, contain, contract, coop, coop in, coop up, cordon, cordon off, cumulate, derive, dig up, drag down, draw, draw together, dredge up, drive, drive together, drove, earn, encircle, enclose, encompass, enshrine, enter into possession, fence, fence in, gain, gather, gather in, gather together, get, get in, get together, goad, group, harvest, hedge, hedge in, hem, hem in, herd, house in, impound, imprison, incarcerate, include, jail, join, juxtapose, kennel, lash, leaguer, lump together, make, make up, mass, match, mew, mew up, mobilize, muster, net, obtain, pair, partner, pen, pen in, pocket, prick, procure, pull down, punch cattle, put together, quarantine, rail in, raise, rake up, rally, reap, ride herd on, round up, sack, score, scrape together, secure, shepherd, shrine, shut in, shut up, spur, stable, surround, take, take up, wall in, whip, whip in, win, wrangle, wrap, yard, yard up

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ROGET THESAURUS

corral

Circumscription

VB circumscribe, limit, bound, confine, inclose, surround, compass about, imprison, hedge in, wall in, rail in, fence round, fence in, hedge round, picket, corral, enfold, bury, encase, incase, pack up, enshrine, inclasp, wrap up, embay, embosom, containment (inclusion).

Inclosure

N inclosure, envelope, case, wrapper, girdle, pen, fold, pen fold, in fold, sheep fold, paddock, pound, corral, yard, net, seine net, wall, hedge, hedge row, espalier, fence, pale, paling, balustrade, rail, railing, quickset hedge, park paling, circumvallation, enceinte, ring fence, barrier, barricade, gate, gateway, bent, dingle, door, hatch, cordon, prison, dike, dyke, ditch, fosse, moat.

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