fence in

Idioms  

1. Also, hem in. Restrict or confine someone, as in He wanted to take on more assignments but was fenced in by his contract, or Their father was old-fashioned and the children were hemmed in by his rules. Both expressions transfer a literal form of enclosure to a figurative one. The first gained currency from a popular song in the style of a cowboy folk song by Cole Porter, “Don't Fence Me In” (1944), in which the cowboy celebrates open land and starry skies. The variant is much older, dating from the late 1500s.

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Example Sentences

In the top of the sixth, he broke a 3-3 tie by sending a hanging slider from closer Jack Champlin over the fence in left field for a two-run home run.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

In a Feb. 14 letter to the crew’s families after the second extension was announced, he wrote that he had expected to be home within weeks, fixing the fence in his backyard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Franzoso suffered a head injury in a collision with a fence in La Parva, Chile, in September.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

Chesterton’s parable: If you stumble on a fence in the middle of the road, don’t take it down until you know why it’s there.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

She was still on the fence in the spring of 2006 when she went to watch the Fugees play and to cheer Grace on.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

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