confine

[kuhn-fahyn, kon-fahyn]

verb (used with object)

confined, confining 

1. 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

2. 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

1. Usually confines. a boundary or bound; limit; border; frontier.

2. Often confines. region; territory.

3. Archaic.,  confinement.

4. Obsolete.,  a place of confinement; prison.

confine

verb

1. to keep or close within bounds; limit; restrict

2. to keep shut in; restrict the free movement of

   arthritis confined him to bed

noun

1. (often plural) a limit; boundary

Other Word Forms

• confinable adjective
• confineable adjective
• confineless adjective
• confiner noun
• nonconfining adjective
• preconfine verb (used with object)
• quasi-confining adjective
• reconfine verb (used with object)
• self-confining adjective
• unconfinable adjective
• unconfining adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of confine¹

1350–1400 for noun; 1515–25 for v.; (noun) Middle English < Middle French confins, confines < Medieval Latin confinia, plural of Latin confinis boundary, border ( con-, fine ² ); (v.) < Middle French confiner, verbal derivative of confins < Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of confine¹

C16: from Medieval Latin confīnāre from Latin confīnis adjacent, from fīnis end, boundary

Example Sentences

No one died in the incident, and damage was confined to the refinery’s footprint.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Initially the scheme will be confined to the most critical suppliers needed for restarting production, but it will be expanded at a later date.

Read more on BBC

Time-travelling to Swift's high school days in Tennessee, it reminisces about a boy she confined to the friend zone while yearning for a single kiss.

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They want to replace it with a more transparent scheme operating within the confines of Nato.

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The detainee, who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retribution, said in response guards confined him in a single-person cell for days.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• constrain 
• detain 
• hinder 
• imprison 
• incarcerate 
• jail 
• restrain 
• restrict