noun
Meaning 1
A boundary or limit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: in-plural
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
confine
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/kənˈfaɪn/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkɒnfaɪn/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: känʹfīn
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US: /ˈkɑnfaɪn/
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rhymes with -aɪn
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kənfīnʹ
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CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N F AY1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Confinement, imprisonment.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: poetic
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To have a common boundary with; to border on.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To restrict (someone or something) to a particular scope or area; to keep in or within certain bounds.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- 1680, John Dryden, Ovid’s Epistles translated by several hands, London: Jacob Tonson, Preface, He is to confine himself to the compass of numbers and the slavery of rhyme.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pen, hem in
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
place limits on (extent or access)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- restrict the use of this parking lot
- limit the time you can spend with your friends
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: restrict, restrain, trammel, limit, bound, throttle
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: control, hold in, hold, contain, check, curb, moderate
Narrower terms: reduce, tighten, tie, gate, draw the line, draw a line, mark off, mark out, rule, harness, rein, baffle, regulate, hamper, halter, cramp, strangle, stiffen, tighten up, constrain, clamp down, crack down, inhibit, restrain, encumber, cumber
verb
Meaning 6
restrict or confine,
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- I limit you to two visits to the pub a day
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: limit, circumscribe
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decrease, lessen, minify
Narrower terms: hold down, number, keep down, cap, restrict, curtail, curb, cut back, demarcate, delimit, delimitate, content, ration
verb
Meaning 7
to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- 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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: restrain, hold
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: disable, disenable, incapacitate
Narrower terms: tie down, tie up, bind, truss, fetter, shackle, enchain, pinion, impound, pound, pound up, pen up, fold, ground
verb
Meaning 8
prevent from leaving or from being removed
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: restrain, keep, keep back, hold back
Narrower terms: cabin, closet, coop up, coop in, lock in, lock away, lock, put away, shut up, shut away, lock up, seal in
verb
Meaning 9
deprive of freedom; take into confinement
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: detain
Antonyms: free
Narrower terms: keep, straiten, imprison, incarcerate, lag, immure, put behind bars, jail, jug, gaol, put away, remand, intern, bind over, cage, cage in, trap, pin down, keep in
verb
Meaning 10
close in; darkness enclosed him"
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: enclose, hold in
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: hold, bear, carry, contain
Narrower terms: bound, border, embank, rail, rail in, box in, box up, frame
History
Etymology
From Middle French confiner, from confins, from Medieval Latin confines, from Latin confinium, from confīnis.
Across languages
Translations
60 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: граници (granici) — limit
- Bulgarian: предел (predel) — limit
- Chinese Mandarin: 界限 (jièxiàn) — limit
- Dutch: limiet — limit
- Finnish: raja — limit
- French: limite — limit
- German: Begrenzung — limit
- Greek: όριο (ório) — limit
- Korean: 감금 (gamgeum) — limit
- Portuguese: confim — limit
- Russian: грани́ца (graníca) — limit
- Russian: преде́л (predél) — limit
- Russian: лими́т (limít) — limit
- Spanish: confín — limit
- Spanish: raya — limit
- Albanian: ngujoj — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Azerbaijani: məhdudlaşdırmaq — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Bulgarian: огранича́вам (ograničávam) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Catalan: confinar — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Chinese Mandarin: 局限 (júxiàn) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Chinese Mandarin: 囿於 /囿于 (yòuyú) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Czech: poutat — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Czech: omezovat — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Czech: tísnit — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Czech: omezit — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Dutch: begrenzen — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Dutch: inperken — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Dutch: beperken — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Finnish: rajoittaa — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Finnish: rajata — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- French: confiner — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- German: beschränken — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Greek: περιορίζω (periorízo) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Ancient Greek: κατακλείω (katakleíō) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Hungarian: korlátoz — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Ingrian: rajata — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Japanese: 限る (kagiru) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Korean: 가두다 (gaduda) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Latin: compescō — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Latin: inclūdō — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Māori: whakatiki — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Māori: whakatina — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Māori: hamaruru — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Norwegian: begrense — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Occitan: confinar — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Persian: محصور کردن (mahsur kardan) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Persian: حبس کردن (habs kardan) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Portuguese: confinar — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Russian: ограни́чивать (ograníčivatʹ) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Russian: ограни́чить (ograníčitʹ) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Slovene: omejiti — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Slovene: omejevati — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Spanish: confinar — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Spanish: encorsetar — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Swedish: begränsa — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Swedish: inskränka — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Telugu: పరిమితము (parimitamu) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Telugu: పరిమితము చేయు (parimitamu cēyu) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Telugu: నిర్బంధించు (nirbandhiñcu) — to restrict; to keep within bounds
- Vietnamese: nhốt — to restrict; to keep within bounds