What does corridor mean?
A corridor is, most familiarly, a long internal passage in a building — in schools, hospitals, offices, and hotels — with rooms or doors leading off either side. The word also extends to geography and planning, where it denotes a defined strip of land or route that channels movement: a transport corridor carrying road and rail traffic, a trade corridor linking economies, or a wildlife corridor allowing animals to migrate safely between habitats. The term carries no strong emotional connotation; it is practical and neutral, though figurative phrases such as 'the corridors of power' lend it an air of institutional intrigue. Borrowed into English in the early seventeenth century from Italian corridore, literally 'a runner' and ultimately from Latin currere, 'to run,' the word originally referred to military passages around fortifications. Today it is indispensable in architecture, urban planning, logistics, and everyday speech alike.
nounA long passage in a building from which rooms open on either side. More broadly, a route or strip of land serving as a channel for transport, trade, or movement between places.
- A long passage in a building with rooms opening off it.
- A strip of land or established route along which people, traffic, trade, or wildlife move between two areas.
"She hurried down the corridor to catch the lift before it closed."
"The nurse walked briskly down the hospital corridor, checking room numbers as she went."
"The government approved a new freight corridor linking the port to the industrial heartland."
Regular plural; used both for multiple building passages and for multiple geographical routes.
"The old wing's corridors echoed with footsteps during the renovation."
Politicians are said to inhabit the 'corridors of power' — but the word itself comes from Italian corridore, meaning 'runner,' as if the hallway itself were racing past.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of corridor
Corridor entered English in the early seventeenth century from French couloir/corridor, borrowed from Italian corridore, meaning 'runner', a derivative of correre, 'to run', from Latin currere. It first denoted the passages running around the ramparts of fortified buildings before settling into its modern architectural sense. English words sharing the Latin root currere include courier, course, current, and discourse.
How corridor is actually used
Neutral register, common in both everyday and formal contexts. In North American usage 'hallway' is often preferred for the building sense; 'corridor' there is more frequent for large-scale routes such as transportation or wildlife corridors. Figurative uses like 'corridors of power' are well-established and slightly journalistic in tone.
Easily confused with corridor
A corolla is the petals of a flower or part of a car name, whereas a corridor is a passage in a building or a route between places.