confine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
- 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
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 ( con-, fine 2 ); (v.) < Middle French confiner, verbal derivative of confins < Latin, as above
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.
When the film is set within the confines of beautifully production-designed interiors, it’s far more compelling.
From Los Angeles Times
While the AI trade is usually viewed as confined to the U.S., it’s played a big part in EM as well, particularly in Asia.
From Barron's
These cells do not stay confined to the skin.
From Science Daily
That can be said to be a legacy of the continued reliance on Cian Healy right up to the point of his retirement last year but the situation in not confined to just one position.
From BBC
Companies typically announce global layoffs, not those confined to the U.S.
From Barron's
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.
