confine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
confines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confined,
past participle, past
-
confining
present participle
-
to enclose within bounds; limit or restrict.
She confined her remarks to errors in the report. Confine your efforts to finishing the book.
- Synonyms:
- circumscribe
- Antonyms:
- free
-
to shut or keep in; prevent from leaving a place because of imprisonment, illness, discipline, etc..
For that offense he was confined to quarters for 30 days.
- Antonyms:
- free
noun
-
Usually confines. a boundary or bound; limit; border; frontier.
-
Often confines. region; territory.
-
Archaic. confinement.
-
Obsolete. a place of confinement; prison.
verb
-
to keep or close within bounds; limit; restrict
-
to keep shut in; restrict the free movement of
arthritis confined him to bed
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
confinernoun
-
preconfineverb (used with object)
-
reconfineverb (used with object)
-
confinableadjective
-
confineableadjective
-
confinelessadjective
-
nonconfiningadjective
-
quasi-confiningadjective
-
self-confiningadjective
-
unconfinableadjective
-
unconfiningadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
confinesimple
-
confinessimple
-
have confinedperfect
-
has confinedperfect
-
am confiningprogressive
-
are confiningprogressive
-
is confiningprogressive
-
have been confiningperfect progressive
-
has been confiningperfect progressive
Past
-
confinedsimple
-
had confinedperfect
-
was confiningprogressive
-
were confiningprogressive
-
had been confiningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confine
1350–1400 for noun; 1515–25 for v.; (noun) Middle English < Middle French confins, confines < Medieval Latin confinia, plural of Latin confinis boundary, border ( see con-, fine 2); (v.) < Middle French confiner, verbal derivative of confins < Latin, as above
Explanation
Confine is all about setting limits. If you are confined to the house, it means you can't leave it. If you're really sick, you might be confined to your bed. Confine can be used abstractly as well. In writing a term paper, your teacher might tell you to confine your examples to ones that you can support with direct evidence. In the 19th century, pregnancy and childbirth were often referred to as a woman's confinement—a time when she couldn't get up or out.
Vocabulary lists containing confine
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Bridge to Terabithia
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The only way to maintain a precise technical meaning for this term would be to confine its use to a largely relevant group of insiders.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The Dodgers have said closer Edwin Díaz is expected to return from elbow surgery sometime after the All-Star break, which would confine that time frame to two weeks, if that.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Instead of trapping light inside solid matter, they confine it within subwavelength air cavities etched into a material with a very high refractive index.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 24, 2026
"There's nobody out here to watch over you or help you or confine you. You're kind of on your own," Glaser said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026
Please confine yourself to discussing issues and such; thereby you will at least avoid obscenity and offense.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
With the noisy calls of angry protesters echoing around the tight confines of Ivana Franka Square, within earshot of the presidential palace, Budanov said the government was taking note.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
How did you approach pacing your performance in the confines of a single day at work?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The team created the device using a two-dimensional crystal that confines electrons to a channel only a few atoms wide.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 2, 2026
Installing a very large TV and throwing a “little watch party for adults” in the confines of his restaurant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The pertinent point is worth emphasizing: though the Alexandrian Greeks such as Eratosthenes worked within the geographical confines of Egypt, they were not drawing from some deep well of native wisdom.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
The tiny fish have a voracious appetite and work wonders as natural mosquito-control agents in abandoned swimming pools, small residential ponds, and other confined aquatic habitats.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
The hottest conditions will become confined to eastern England, where temperatures could still reach the low 30s Celsius, particularly across East Anglia and London.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
As long as those connections had to be made, essentially, by hand, computers were confined to governments and big businesses, tended by men in white coats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The Myles Garrett effect is not confined to the defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
“The joke,” he replied gravely, “seemed confined to you and Mr. Churchill.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Using this concept, the team designed and experimentally demonstrated a three dimensional singular dielectric resonator capable of confining light below the diffraction limit in all three spatial dimensions.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2026
In light of the academic fascination with diversity, Matthew Avery Sutton’s “Chosen Land” is noteworthy for confining its attention to Christianity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
He was impeached on 14 December, and on 3 January – after confining himself inside the presidential residence for two-and-a-half weeks – arrested.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
Oh, and there’s a giant hole in the ceiling of her apartment, confining her to a hotel room while her landlord drags his feet to get it fixed.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2025
No sense in confining yourself to one room when there are all these options, is there?
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
