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

The kidnapping, and Hannibal Lecter's confinement in a ballroom take place in Memphis. —Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 7 Nov. 2025

There’s a chance that Diddy will be allowed to serve the end of his sentence in a halfway house or home confinement under the RDAP program after the appeal would normally have been decided. —Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025

Paul opted to plead guilty and was sentenced to five days of confinement, although it was minimized to an eight-hour work program. —Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025

Anderson was sentenced to three months in prison and three months of home confinement. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

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