house arrest

American  

noun

1. 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.

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house arrest British  

noun

1. confinement to one's own home

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house arrest Cultural  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of house arrest

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

He had recently been freed from prison but then quickly re-detained and kept under house arrest.

From Barron's

Guanipa was initially released from prison earlier this month, but was then rearrested and placed under house arrest for allegedly breaching the terms of his release.

From BBC

Also present at one of the meetings was another Chinese citizen who was under house arrest while being investigated for alleged links to an illegal timber network.

From BBC

On Tuesday Mr. Guanipa’s son said his father had been returned to his home in Maracaibo in the state of Zulia, and placed under house arrest.

From The Wall Street Journal

Khatib was released from house arrest in mid-January and is awaiting the final charge.

From Barron's