confine

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

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.

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 for confine

1	circumscribe

See synonyms for confine on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for confine

1, 2

free

See antonyms for confine on Thesaurus.com

Other words from confine

con·fin·a·ble, con·fine·a·ble, adjective
con·fine·less, adjective
con·fin·er, noun
non·con·fin·ing, adjective
pre·con·fine, verb (used with object), pre·con·fined, pre·con·fin·ing.
qua·si-con·fin·ing, adjective
re·con·fine, verb (used with object), re·con·fined, re·con·fin·ing.
self-con·fin·ing, adjective
un·con·fin·a·ble, adjective
un·con·fin·ing, adjective

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

How to use confine in a sentence

By that time, SantaCon had already spread beyond the narrow confines of a few prankster-explorers.
Before the Bros, SantaCon Was as an Anti-Corporate Protest | David Freedlander | December 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But the Sketchbook Project confines itself to restricting only submissions that might endanger the staff.
Blurred Lines at NY Sketchbook Museum | Daniel Genis | November 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It exists only in his memory, so he retreats into the confines of his mind.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero | Regina Lizik | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Within the confines of the Internet, this little girl exists only to make us feel better about ourselves.
Gabby Giffords and the Problem with ‘Inspiration Porn’ | Elizabeth Heideman | September 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It takes an effort to think beyond the clear culture-war confines of the case.
Gay Marriage Vs. the First Amendment | James Poulos | August 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

As long as he is moderately peaceful and confines his wandering brain to gesticulations and speech, he is let alone by the police.
The Real Latin Quarter | F. Berkeley Smith
For no caution is more truly kind than which confines servants strictly to their own sphere.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
And they circumcised all the children whom they found in the confines of Israel that were uncircumcised: and they did valiantly.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
And he made his brother, Simon, governor, from the borders of Tyre even to the confines of Egypt.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
This section is not expressly confined to wandering persons, but the marginal note confines it to the "occasional poor."
English Poor Law Policy | Sidney Webb

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 of: arthritis confined him to bed

noun(ˈkɒnfaɪn)

(often plural) a limit; boundary

Origin of confine

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

Derived forms of confine

confinable or confineable, adjective
confineless, adjective
confiner, noun

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

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