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.

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.

The “Federal Contraband” hitmaker was still on house arrest in January when the alleged music studio takeover took place.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Mossadegh soon turned himself in, was convicted of treason, served time in prison, and died under house arrest in 1967.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

Since December, the head of the department responsible for the AI has been under house arrest for his alleged links to an illegal manipulation of government tenders.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

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 • Feb. 17, 2026

Within two weeks, she was again banned, and placed under house arrest.

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