Definition

1. Verb:
   • To enclose or surround something, often with a barrier or boundary: "hedge in" means to confine or restrict an area or a person by creating a physical or metaphorical enclosure.
   • To limit or restrict freedom of movement or action: It can describe the act of constraining someone's options or physically surrounding them.

Usage

• The primary use is as a transitive phrasal verb: to hedge [something/someone] in.
• It often carries a connotation of feeling trapped or restricted by the enclosure.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The old garden was completely hedged in by tall, thick bushes.
  • She felt hedged in by the strict rules and regulations of her new job.
  • The farmer hedged in the pasture to keep the sheep from wandering.

Advanced Usage

• Passive Construction: Commonly used in the passive voice ("to be hedged in") to emphasize the state of being confined.
  • Without a car in the countryside, you can feel terribly hedged in.
• Metaphorical Use: Frequently applied to non-physical constraints like rules, responsibilities, or circumstances.
  • His creativity was hedged in by the client's very specific demands.

Variants and Related Words

• Hedge (verb): To avoid making a clear, direct statement or commitment.
  • The politician hedged when asked about his tax policy.
• Hedge (noun): A fence or boundary formed by closely growing bushes or shrubs.
  • The property line was marked by a dense hedge.
• Encircle: To form a circle around; surround.
• Enclose: To surround or close off on all sides.

Synonyms

• Encircle
• Surround
• Enclose
• Confine
• Hem in

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Box in: To trap or surround someone so they cannot move or escape easily.
  • The other cars boxed me in at the parking lot.
• Fence in: To enclose an area with a fence.
  • They decided to fence in the backyard for the dog.
• Hem in: To surround someone or something closely so that movement is restricted.
  • Protesters found themselves hemmed in by police barriers.

Related Idioms

• (To be) in a bind: To be in a difficult situation with few options.
  • The new contract has the company in a bind.
• (To be) fenced in: To feel restricted or confined.
  • After years in the city, he felt fenced in and longed for open spaces.

Verb

1. enclose or bound in with or as it with a hedge or hedges
   • hedge the property