confinement

noun

con·​fine·​ment kən-ˈfīn-mənt 

: an act of confining : the state of being confined

solitary confinement

especially : lying-in

Synonyms

• 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

In Ibadan, the biennial activates the New Culture Studio designed by Demas Nwoko (1970), exploring urban and architectural dimensions of confinement. —Photovogue, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025

His letters center on a petition written by his lawyers and filed on his behalf that portrays a man shaped by decades of confinement, failing health and personal reckoning. —Beatrice Peterson, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2025

These conditions of confinement might mirror what we're used to in prisons and jails and can sometimes be worse. —Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025

Inaccurate data can lead to instability, allowing the plasma to escape its magnetic confinement and potentially cause damage to the machine. —Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined above

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