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

"We are mostly confined to cooking just three types of meals in a week: rice, pasta and lentils," Mr Matar says.

Read more on BBC

There, in the confines of its pages, Nora recognizes that her father has a much more innate and perceptive knowledge of her that neither of them ever could’ve imagined.

Read more on Salon

Inside, the apartments are mostly studios and one-bedrooms, long and dimly lighted by windows confined to one side.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Scientists have long debated whether water in these confined regions simply behaves as a passive bystander or affects how molecules interact.

Read more on Science Daily

Some fusion systems focus on reaching the highest pressures possible, while others compensate by confining plasma for longer periods.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

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