confine
/kən'fain/
Definition
- Verb:
- To keep within limits; to restrict: To prevent someone or something from moving beyond a certain boundary or area.
- To imprison or detain: To keep a person or animal in a restricted space, such as a prison, room, or enclosure.
- To limit an activity or scope: To restrict something, such as a discussion, to a particular subject or range.
Usage
- To physically restrict movement:
- The farmer will confine the sheep to the lower pasture.
- Please confine your dog to the backyard.
- To imprison or hold:
- The authorities had to confine the dangerous prisoner to a maximum-security cell.
- To limit scope or focus:
- For now, let's confine our discussion to the main topic.
- He confined his remarks to the financial aspects of the plan.
Advanced Usage
- "to be confined to": This common passive construction indicates a state of restriction.
- During the outbreak, residents were confined to their homes.
- Her research is confined to a very narrow field.
- "to confine oneself to": To voluntarily limit one's own actions or focus.
- I will confine myself to making a few brief observations.
Variants and Related Words
- Confinement (n): The state of being confined; imprisonment or restriction.
- The prisoner's long confinement affected his health.
- She was ordered to bed rest during her confinement. (This can also refer to the period of childbirth.)
- Confined (adj): Limited in space; restricted.
- The work was done in a confined space.
- Confining (adj): Creating a feeling of restriction or limitation.
- The small room felt confining.
Synonyms
- Restrict: To put a limit on.
- Limit: To set a point beyond which something does not or may not extend.
- Enclose: To surround or close off on all sides.
- Imprison: To put or keep in prison.
- Detain: To keep from proceeding; to hold in custody.
Related Phrasal Verbs
(Note: "Confine" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. The meaning of restriction is inherent in the verb itself and is typically expressed with the preposition "to.")
Related Idioms
- Confined to barracks: (Military) A punishment requiring a soldier to stay within the barracks area.
- The private was confined to barracks for a week.
- Confined to bed: Unable to leave one's bed due to illness or injury.
- After the surgery, he was confined to bed for several days.
Verb
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to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
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This holds the local until the express passengers change trains
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About a dozen animals were held inside the stockade
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The illegal immigrants were held at a detention center
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The terrorists held the journalists for ransom
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deprive of freedom; take into confinement
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close in; darkness enclosed him"
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prevent from leaving or from being removed
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restrict or confine, "I limit you to two visits to the pub a day"
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place limits on (extent or access)
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restrict the use of this parking lot
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limit the time you can spend with your friends
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