confine
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to enclose within bounds; limit or restrict.
She confined her remarks to errors in the report. Confine your efforts to finishing the book.
- Synonyms:
- circumscribe
- Antonyms:
- free
-
to shut or keep in; prevent from leaving a place because of imprisonment, illness, discipline, etc..
For that offense he was confined to quarters for 30 days.
- Antonyms:
- free
noun
-
Usually confines. a boundary or bound; limit; border; frontier.
-
Often confines. region; territory.
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Archaic. confinement.
-
Obsolete. a place of confinement; prison.
verb
-
to keep or close within bounds; limit; restrict
-
to keep shut in; restrict the free movement of
arthritis confined him to bed
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
unconfinableadjective
-
confineableadjective
-
confinableadjective
-
reconfineverb (used with object)
-
quasi-confiningadjective
-
preconfineverb (used with object)
-
unconfiningadjective
-
confinelessadjective
-
self-confiningadjective
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nonconfiningadjective
-
confinernoun
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has confinedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have confinedperfect
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am confiningprogressive 1st person singular
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is confiningprogressive 3rd person singular
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confinessingular 3rd person
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confiningparticiple
-
have been confiningperfect progressive
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are confiningprogressive
-
has been confiningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had confinedperfect
-
were confiningprogressive plural
-
was confiningprogressive singular
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confinedparticiple
-
had been confiningperfect progressive
-
confinedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of confine
1350–1400 for noun; 1515–25 for v.; (noun) Middle English < Middle French confins, confines < Medieval Latin confinia, plural of Latin confinis boundary, border ( see con-, fine 2); (v.) < Middle French confiner, verbal derivative of confins < Latin, as above
Explanation
Confine is all about setting limits. If you are confined to the house, it means you can't leave it. If you're really sick, you might be confined to your bed. Confine can be used abstractly as well. In writing a term paper, your teacher might tell you to confine your examples to ones that you can support with direct evidence. In the 19th century, pregnancy and childbirth were often referred to as a woman's confinement—a time when she couldn't get up or out.
Vocabulary lists containing confine
100 SAT words Beginning with "C"
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Bridge to Terabithia
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Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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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.
"Together, they efficiently confine and enhance the twisting of light to create a strong coupling of spin between photons and electrons. This stabilizes the quantum state that makes quantum communication possible."
From Science Daily • May 30, 2026
The Dodgers have said closer Edwin Díaz is expected to return from elbow surgery sometime after the All-Star break, which would confine that time frame to two weeks, if that.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
"There's nobody out here to watch over you or help you or confine you. You're kind of on your own," Glaser said.
From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026
The harsh environment would confine people to domes or underground shelters, where boredom and isolation would be real dangers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Hence the rest of this chapter will confine itself to the big mammals.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
