confinement

noun

con·​fine·​ment kən-ˈfīn-mənt 

1

: an act of confining : the state of being confined

solitary confinement

2

: lying-in

Synonyms of confinement

• captivity
• internment
• imprisonment
• incarceration
• prison

Examples of confinement in a Sentence

The dog was kept in confinement until it was determined to be healthy.

He remained with his wife during her confinement.

Recent Examples on the Web

This reflects a shift towards greater use of halfway houses and home confinement. — Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Peters was released from prison June 1 on parole after serving nearly two years in confinement. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 30 June 2026

Prosecutors in the case argued the one-year sentence is not enough, saying he should have been committed to state prison and received a longer period of confinement. — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

Some had waited for decades, but the priest learned, more or less, how to accompany people through years of confinement and isolation without losing himself in their desolation. — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French, from confiner "to confine entry 2" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing confinement

• solitary confinement

Rhymes for confinement

• misalignment
• nonalignment
• realignment
• reassignment
• reconsignment
• alignment
• alinement
• assignment
• consignment
• refinement

Medical Definition

confinement

noun

con·​fine·​ment kən-ˈfīn-mənt 

: an act of confining : the state of being confined

especially : lying-in

Legal Definition

confinement

noun

con·​fine·​ment

1

: the act of confining

2

: the state of being confined