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

Cortez Morehead, 27, pleaded guilty in documents filed March 30 to feticide and criminal confinement, both Level 3 felonies. —Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026

Pettit was charged with six counts of cruelty to animals, six counts of confinement of abandonment of animals, three counts of keeping venomous reptiles without a permit and one count of unsafe maintenance of captive wild animals, according to the release. —Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026

Chavez, who once ran a ketamine clinic, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and was sentenced to eight months home confinement in December 2025. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026

That law, approved by 77% of Bay State voters back in 2016, bans the in-state sale of products derived from animals raised in extreme confinement. —John Cleveland, Boston Herald, 7 Apr. 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