corn
gb/kˈɔɹn/ us/kˈɔɹn/
A2
English
~ 5900
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A2
entity
1
maize plant and grain
A tall plant with big yellow seeds that people and animals eat; very common on farms, especially in the US.
Usage pattern:
grow [corn] on [land]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this sense of "corn" (the crop/plant) with the more specific sense of cooked corn kernels served as a vegetable. Use this sense when talking about farming, fields, or the crop in general.
Synonyms
maize (More technical and international; often used in scientific or global contexts instead of everyday American English.)
Antonyms
meat (Refers to animal flesh as food, contrasting with corn as a plant-based staple food.)
Collocations
field of corn
|corn farmer
|corn harvest
|corn crop
|corn field
|feed corn
Themes
food
|agriculture
|daily_life
|food_drink
|nature
Examples
- Endless fields of corn stretched to the horizon.
- The drought destroyed much of the corn this year.
- Many farmers rotate corn with soybeans to keep the soil healthy.
- The government subsidizes corn production in some regions.
- Wildlife often feeds on leftover corn after the harvest.
Learner examples
- There is a big field of corn near my house.
- The farmer grows corn and beans on his land.
- The cows eat dry corn in the winter.
- The price of corn went up this year.
- We drove past many corn fields on our trip.
Noun
A2
entity
2
corn kernels as food
The small yellow pieces from the corn plant that you cook and eat as food.
Usage pattern:
eat [corn] with [food]
Common mistake:
Some learners think "corn" always means the whole plant. When you talk about food on your plate, you usually mean this sense: the yellow pieces (kernels).
Synonyms
sweetcorn (Common especially in British English for the sweet, tender kernels eaten as a vegetable.)
Antonyms
meat (A different main part of a meal, from animals, contrasting with corn as a vegetable side dish.)
Collocations
canned corn
|corn salad
|fresh corn
|frozen corn
|buttered corn
|grilled corn
Themes
food
|cooking
|daily_life
|food_drink
Examples
- She opened a can of corn to add to the soup.
- We had steak with corn and mashed potatoes for dinner.
- I like to mix corn and peas as a side dish.
- The kids ate corn straight from the bowl with butter and salt.
- Frozen corn is easy to add to stir-fries.
Learner examples
- I put corn and carrots in the soup.
- We ate corn with chicken for dinner.
- He likes corn with a lot of butter and salt.
- I bought a bag of frozen corn.
- She made a salad with corn and tomatoes.
Noun
B2
entity
3
painful hard skin on foot
A small, hard spot of thick skin on your toe or foot that hurts when you walk or wear shoes.
Usage pattern:
a [corn] on [someone]'s [toe/foot]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this sense with the plant or food. When talking about pain on the toe or foot, "corn" means a skin problem, not the vegetable.
Synonyms
callus (A more general word for thickened skin; a corn is a specific, usually smaller and more painful type, often on toes.)
Antonyms
smooth skin (Describes skin without hard, raised, or thickened areas, opposite to having a corn.)
Collocations
a painful corn
|treat a corn
|remove a corn
|corn on the toe
|corn remover
|corn treatment
Themes
health
|medicine
|body
Examples
- She has a painful corn on her little toe from wearing tight shoes.
- The podiatrist removed the corn and recommended better-fitting footwear.
- Over-the-counter pads can help reduce pressure on a corn.
- If you cut a corn yourself, you might cause an infection.
- He limped slightly because of a corn on his foot.
Learner examples
- I have a corn on my big toe.
- This shoe gives me a corn on my foot.
- The doctor cut the corn off my toe.
- My corn hurts when I walk a long time.
- She wears soft shoes because she has a corn.
Noun
literary
C1
entity
4
any cereal grain (literary)
In some older or literary British English, a general word for grain crops like wheat or barley.
Usage pattern:
fields of [corn]
Common mistake:
Learners often assume this sense of "corn" always means maize (American usage). In older or literary British texts, "corn" can mean grain in general, especially wheat or barley.
Synonyms
grain (A general modern word for cereal crops and their seeds; more common in today’s English than this literary sense of "corn".)
Antonyms
fallow land (Land left without crops, contrasting with land covered in corn or other grains.)
Collocations
fields of corn
|ripe corn
|the corn harvest
|corn prices
|corn market
Themes
agriculture
|literature
|food_drink
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Golden corn waved in the wind across the valley.
- The villagers depended on the corn harvest to survive the winter.
- In the poem, the fields of corn symbolize abundance and peace.
- Heavy rains threatened the standing corn just before harvest.
- Corn and cattle were the main wealth of the region in those days.
Learner examples
- In this old story, farmers grow corn, meaning wheat and other grains.
- The poem talks about corn in the fields, not about maize.
- In some books, corn means any grain, like wheat or barley.
- The price of corn in the text is really the price of grain.
- The farmers harvest corn, meaning many kinds of grain crops.
Verb
technical
C1
action
5
preserve meat with salt
To keep meat good for a long time by putting it in very salty water or covering it with a lot of salt.
Usage pattern:
corn [meat] before [cooking/storage]
Common mistake:
Learners often know the food name "corned beef" but do not realize that "corn" here is a verb meaning to preserve meat with salt; it does not mean adding maize.
Synonyms
salt (A more general word for adding salt to food; "corn" refers specifically to preserving meat in heavy salt or brine.)
Antonyms
desalt (To remove salt from something, the opposite of adding salt to preserve it.)
Collocations
corn beef
|corned meat
|corn the brisket
|corned in brine
Themes
food
|cooking
|industry
|food_drink
Examples
- Traditionally, people would corn meat to store it through the winter.
- The brisket is corned for several days before it is cooked.
- In the past, sailors ate heavily corned beef on long voyages.
- They still corn their own beef using a family recipe.
- The meat was corned in large wooden barrels in the cellar.
Learner examples
- Long ago, people corned meat to keep it for many months.
- They corn the beef in salty water before cooking it.
- Sailors ate corned meat on long trips.
- The cook corned the meat in a big pot of brine.
- Before we had fridges, many families corned their meat.
Grammar
Dictionary form
corn
IPA
GB/kˈɔɹn/
US/kˈɔɹn/
Syllables & stress
corn (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (corn)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: corn
- Plural: corn, corns
Verb
- Base: corn
- 3rd Person Singular: corns
- Present Participle: corning
- Past: corned
Word family
Forms
corns
noun
corning
verb
corned
verb
Core family
corny
adjective
Related words
Advanced or less common
cornstarch
noun
corncob
noun
Expressions
corn flakes
1/kˈɔɹn flˈeɪks/
fixed phrase
toasted corn breakfast cereal
Thin, dry pieces of toasted corn that people eat with milk for breakfast.
Examples
- He eats corn flakes with milk every morning.
- They bought a big box of corn flakes for the kids.
- I sprinkled some fruit on top of my corn flakes.
corn oil
1/kˈɔɹn ˈɔɪl/
fixed phrase
cooking oil from corn
A yellow cooking oil that is made from corn.
Examples
- She prefers to fry vegetables in corn oil.
- Corn oil is often used in salad dressings and baking.
- They bought a large bottle of corn oil at the supermarket.
corn on the cob
1/kˈɔɹn ˈɔn ðə kˈɑb/
fixed phrase
cooked corn still on cob
Corn that is cooked and eaten while the yellow pieces are still on the hard middle part (the cob).
Examples
- We grilled corn on the cob at the barbecue.
- She served corn on the cob with lots of butter and salt.
- The kids love eating corn on the cob with their hands.
corn syrup
1/kˈɔɹn sˈɚəp/
fixed phrase
sweet syrup from corn starch
A thick, sweet liquid made from corn, used to make food and drinks sweet.
Examples
- Many processed foods contain high-fructose corn syrup.
- The recipe calls for half a cup of light corn syrup.
- Some people try to avoid corn syrup in their diet.
corned beef
1/kˈɔɹnɪd bˈif/
fixed phrase
salt-preserved beef product
Beef that has been kept in very salty water to preserve it, often sold in cans or used in sandwiches.
Examples
- We had corned beef and cabbage for dinner on St. Patrick's Day.
- He made a sandwich with corned beef and mustard.
- They bought a can of corned beef for camping meals.
ear of corn
1/ˈɪɹ əv kˈɔɹn/
fixed phrase
fruiting head of corn plant
The part of the corn plant that you eat, with many yellow seeds together on the cob.
Examples
- Each ear of corn on that plant is very large.
- He picked an ear of corn and peeled back the husk.
- The storm knocked several ears of corn off the stalks.