Synonyms

house arrest

American

noun

confinement of an arrested person to their residence or to a public place, such as a hospital, instead of in a jail.

He was under house arrest until the day of his trial.

house arrest British

noun

confinement to one's own home

"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

house arrest Cultural

Forcible detention in one's house rather than in a prison. House arrest is used by some nations as a way to silence political dissent without the elaborate trials and criminal proceedings that would bring bad publicity.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

house arrests

plural

Etymology

Origin of house arrest

First recorded in 1935–40

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.

Mousavi and his wife have remained under house arrest ever since.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

Two months ago, the junta announced that she had been moved to house arrest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Mrs. Kirchner is serving a six-year sentence under house arrest for fraud in the administration of public-works contracts in the province of Santa Cruz.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

Bolsonaro, 71, is currently serving his sentence under house arrest for health reasons.

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

He spent the next six months under house arrest in South Africa before slipping out of the country and going first to Lusaka to see Oliver, and then to London.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023