confine
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1con·fine
noun \ˈkän-ˌfīn also kən-ˈ\Definition of CONFINE
1
plural a : something (as borders or walls) that encloses <outside the confines of the office or hospital — W. A. Nolen>; also : something that restrains <escape from the confines of soot and clutter — E. S. Muskie> b : scope 3 <work within the confines of a small group — Frank Newman>
2
a archaic : restriction b obsolete : prison
Origin of CONFINE
Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French confines, plural, from Latin confine border, from neuter of confinis adjacent, from com- + finis end
First Known Use: 15th century
2con·fine
verb \kən-ˈfīn\con·finedcon·fin·ing
Definition of CONFINE
intransitive verb
archaic : border
transitive verb
1
a : to hold within a location b : imprison
2
: to keep within limits <will confine my remarks to one subject>
— con·fin·er noun
See Examples of CONFINE
- <will confine my remarks to the subject we came here to discuss>
- <the accused was confined until the trial could take place>
First Known Use of CONFINE
1523
Related to CONFINE
Rhymes with CONFINE
A-line, affine, airline, align, alkyne, alpine, assign, at sign, balkline, baseline, beeline, benign, bloodline, blue line, blush wine, bovine, bowline, branchline, breadline, bright-line, buntline, bustline, byline, call sign, canine, caprine, carbine, carmine, cervine, chow line, clothesline, cloud nine, coastline, combine, compline, condign, consign, corvine, cosign, cutline, dateline, deadline, decline, define, design, divine, dragline, driveline, earthshine, Einstein, eiswein, end line, enshrine, entwine, equine, ethyne, fall line, fault line, feline, ferine, first-line, flatline, flight line, foul line, fräulein, frontline, front line, goal line, gold mine, grapevine, guideline, hairline, hard-line, hard pine, headline, hemline, high sign, hipline, Holbein, hotline, ice wine, incline, indign, in fine, in-line, Irvine, jawline, jug wine, landline, land mine, lang syne, lifeline, load line, longline, lupine, mainline, main line, malign, midline, moline, moonshine, neckline, off-line, old-line, online, opine, outline, outshine, ovine, Pauline, peace sign, Petrine, pipeline, piscine, pitch pine, plotline, plumb line, plus sign, pontine, porcine, potline, pound sign, propine, punch line, rapine, recline, redline, red pine, refine, reline, repine, resign, Rhine wine, ridgeline, roofline, Sabine, saline, Scotch pine, scrub pine, setline, shoreline, short line, sideline, sight line, skyline, snow line, soft-line, spring line, straight-line, strandline, straw wine, streamline, strip mine, strychnine, subline, sunshine, supine, syncline, taurine, tie-line, times sign, topline, touchline, towline, tramline, trapline, tree line, trephine, trotline, truckline, trunk line, tumpline, turbine, untwine, ursine, vespine, V sign, vulpine, waistline, white line, white pine, white wine, woodbine, yard line, zebrine, Z line
con·fine
transitive verb \kən-ˈfīn\ (Medical Dictionary)con·fined; con·fin·ing
Medical Definition of CONFINE
: to keep from leaving accustomed quarters (as one's room or bed) under pressure of infirmity, childbirth, or detention
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