house arrest

American  

noun

1. confinement of an arrested person to their residence or to a public place, such as a hospital, instead of in a jail.

   He was under house arrest until the day of his trial.

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house arrest British  

noun

1. confinement to one's own home

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house arrest Cultural  

1. Forcible detention in one's house rather than in a prison. House arrest is used by some nations as a way to silence political dissent without the elaborate trials and criminal proceedings that would bring bad publicity.

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Etymology

Origin of house arrest

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

By May 2009, she was in New York City on a visa, and in July she met Epstein at his house in West Palm Beach while he was under house arrest, Roza said.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Mrs. Kirchner is serving a six-year sentence under house arrest for fraud in the administration of public-works contracts in the province of Santa Cruz.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

On Wednesday, the Philippines praised Myanmar's decision to move Suu Kyi to house arrest while asking that a special envoy be granted "brief access" to the 80-year-old.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been held in detention since a military coup in 2021, has been moved to house arrest, the country's state media reported.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

If no official charge has been made, Papa won’t be jailed but put under house arrest at one of these hotels.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez