confine

[ kuhn-fahyn for 1, 2, 5, 6; kon-fahyn for 3, 4 ]

/ kənˈfaɪn for 1, 2, 5, 6; ˈkɒn faɪn for 3, 4 /

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See synonyms for: confine / confined / confines / confining on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), con·fined, con·fin·ing.

to enclose within bounds; limit or restrict: She confined her remarks to errors in the report. Confine your efforts to finishing the book.

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.

noun

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

Often confines. region; territory.

Archaic. confinement.

Obsolete. a place of confinement; prison.

OTHER WORDS FOR confine

1 circumscribe.

See synonyms for confine on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR confine

1, 2 free.

See antonyms for confine on Thesaurus.com

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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-, fine²); (v.) <Middle French confiner, verbal derivative of confins<Latin, as above

OTHER WORDS FROM confine

con·fin·a·ble, con·fine·a·ble, adjectivecon·fine·less, adjectivecon·fin·er, nounnon·con·fin·ing, adjective

pre·con·fine, verb (used with object), pre·con·fined, pre·con·fin·ing.qua·si-con·fin·ing, adjectivere·con·fine, verb (used with object), re·con·fined, re·con·fin·ing.self-con·fin·ing, adjectiveun·con·fin·a·ble, adjectiveun·con·fin·ing, adjective

Words nearby confine

confiding, configurate, configuration, configurationism, configure, confine, confined, confinee, confinement, confirm, confirmand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use confine in a sentence

For starters, more people will probably watch the game within the confines of their homes.
How CBS will expand Super Bowl streaming viewership this year|Tim Peterson|February 1, 2021|Digiday
From his confines in a Melbourne hotel room, the world’s 70th-ranked men’s tennis player is staging a clinic on the sport’s mental game.
A tennis player has turned his Australian Open quarantine into a party of one|Liz Clarke|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
Due to close confines, too many deaths among inmates and correction officers have occurred nationally, and family and friend visitations are canceled.
Hints From Heloise: Send a letter to your future self|Heloise Heloise|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
The trick is still mostly experimental, but it’s an example of thinking outside the artificial confines of a particular AI domain.
2021 Could Be a Banner Year for AI—If We Solve These 4 Problems|Shelly Fan|January 5, 2021|Singularity Hub

Experts in psychology and decision-making say hostility toward wearing masks, even within the shared confines of a passenger jet, has been fueled by politicization — but also by skewed incentives and inconsistent messaging.
Sneezed on, cussed at, ignored: Airline workers battle mask resistance with scant government backup|Michael Laris|January 1, 2021|Washington Post
It is naïve to imagine that a militarized police will confine itself to surgical strikes in crime-ridden areas.
What’s Next, Police With Tanks?|James Poulos|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These questions simply will not confine themselves to quiet rooms.
Paul Begala: The Strangely Silent Jan. 23 Debate in Tampa|Paul Begala|January 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In war, for instance, we certainly mean to confine our aspirations for life to ourselves and our allies.
Let the Death Penalty Die|Thomas Cahill|March 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Miss Gould will confine her lectures this week in English to the discussion of plays and play-making.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
No third mode of origin can be conceived, and we may safely confine ourselves to a review of these two claims.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris
If he confine that slave in his house, and afterwards the slave has been seized in his hand, that man shall be put to death.
The Oldest Code of Laws in the World|Hammurabi, King of Babylon
So, we will name no chemicals or poisons but confine ourselves to effects and processes.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
We cannot confine the first refrain to one line only, as there is no stop at the end of l. 14.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer

British Dictionary definitions for confine

confine

verb (kənˈfaɪn) (tr)

to keep or close within bounds; limit; restrict

to keep shut in; restrict the free movement ofarthritis confined him to bed

noun (ˈkɒnfaɪn)

(often plural) a limit; boundary

Derived forms of confine

confinable or confineable, adjectiveconfineless, adjectiveconfiner, noun

Word Origin for confine

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

confine

OTHER WORDS FOR confine

OPPOSITES FOR confine

Origin of confine

OTHER WORDS FROM confine

Words nearby confine

Words related to confine

How to use confine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for confine

Derived forms of confine

Word Origin for confine