Confine (Verb)
Meaning 1
Place limits on (extent or amount or access); "restrict the use of this parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your friends".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The company's new policy will confine the number of days employees can take off per year.
- Her health issues will confine her to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
- The strict laws confine the use of certain chemicals in manufacturing processes.
- The professor's schedule will confine the amount of time students have to work on their projects.
- The hotel's security measures will confine access to the pool area to registered guests only.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 2
Deprive of freedom; take into confinement.
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The government decided to confine the political dissident to house arrest to prevent her from speaking out against the regime.
- The quarantine protocols will confine all passengers who show symptoms of the disease to their cabins for the remainder of the voyage.
- After being diagnosed with a contagious illness, she was confined to her bedroom for several weeks to prevent infecting her family members.
- The suspect was confined to a cell pending the outcome of the trial, during which he would have limited access to the outside world.
- To prevent further disturbances, the unruly students were confined to detention for the rest of the day.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Hyponyms
Related Words
Meaning 3
Prevent from leaving or from being removed.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The officers confine the suspects to their cells while the investigation continues.
- Her chronic illness has been so severe that it can confine her to a hospital bed.
- High levels of smog confine children to indoor play.
- Walls of dense underbrush can confine an overlanding trip to small two-lane highways.
- Cold and frost will confine bee populations and drastically decrease population in autumn and spring.
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 4
To close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement; "This holds the local until the express passengers change trains"; "About a dozen animals were held inside the stockade"; "The illegal immigrants were held at a detention center"; "The terrorists held the journalists for ransom".
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The walls of the prison cell confine the inmates to a small space with limited freedom.
- The hospital staff had to confine the patient to bed rest to aid in her recovery.
- The zookeepers confine the wild animals to enclosures for their own safety and the safety of visitors.
- The government regulations confine the amount of pollutants that factories can release into the air.
- The island's geography confine the residents to a limited area with limited access to the outside world.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 5
Close in; "darkness enclosed him".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- The dense forest seemed to confine her, making her feel trapped and claustrophobic.
- The old, stone walls confine the castle, protecting it from the outside world.
- The narrow, winding staircase confine the space, making it difficult to navigate.
- The thick fog began to confine the city, reducing visibility to almost zero.
- The high, imposing mountains confine the valley, creating a sense of isolation.