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
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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
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has confinedperfect
-
am confiningprogressive
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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
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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:
Deed restrictions confine the land to commercial and industrial use, and the groundwater remains under investigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The researchers now want to investigate ways to confine the molten salts, potentially using halogens or carbon-based materials, which could make the salts easier to separate and process while improving their stability.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
He never wanted to confine himself to the romantic guidelines that so often affected his straight friends.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 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
Hence the rest of this chapter will confine itself to the big mammals.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Even with “Digger,” Cruise’s most ambitious project in years, he confines himself to a loud, obnoxious character destined to be written about as a “big swing.”
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
For some of the best local cuisine, you’ll have to leave the confines of Paradise Bay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Officials don’t expect the fire to reach beyond the confines of the wilderness area of Yosemite National Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
I’m not advocating for speeding, but you’re not bound by the confines of traffic, where you have a stoplight at every block.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Earlier this month, Barclays analysts were warning that elevated diesel prices “are unlikely to remain confined to the energy line-items of U.S. inflation.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Which means these attitudes are not just confined to dedicated craft-snarking spaces.
From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026
While one might assume there’s a small dedicated area where the rain is confined, that’s not the case — it splatters over the whole stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Much of his work is now confined to industrial areas, far from the busy public spaces where he once performed, hitting his earnings hard.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Perhaps, he said, if, as Galileo claimed, there were mountains on the moon, Bruno had been partly right—maybe the moon was inhabited, and life was not confined to the Earth.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
What were the aspects of her caregiving that provided a sense of meaningful connection, and what were the parts she found confining?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
The former Bosnia international joined a club under a transfer embargo, confining them to free transfers and loans, but still made them promotion contenders.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The researchers say this discovery forms the foundation of what they call singulonics, a new nanophotonic framework focused on controlling and confining light far below conventional limits without energy dissipation.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 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
“The ‘fowl’ smell can be concealed by confining our preparations to the chicken coop.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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