1
confines plural
a
: something (such as borders or walls) that encloses
outside the confines of the office or hospital—
W. A. Nolen
W. A. Nolen
also
: something that restrains
escape from the confines of soot and clutter —E. S. Muskie
E. S. Muskie
b
: scope sense 3
work within the confines of a small group—Frank Newman
Frank Newman2
a
archaic
: restriction
b
obsolete
: prison
confined; confining
archaic
: border
1
a
: to hold within a location
Dikes confined the floodwaters.
b
: imprison
2
: to keep within limits
will confine my remarks to one subject
confiner
noun
Synonyms
Examples of confine in a Sentence
Verb
will confine my remarks to the subject we came here to discuss
the accused was confined until the trial could take place
Recent Examples on the WebJustin Worland, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
Woodman struggled to find her footing outside the comfortable confines of school.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2024
And the very idea of losing weight outside the confines of sports or exercise is itself gendered, according to Emily Contois, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Tulsa.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The bacteria can travel outside the confines of the mouth and have been detected at many sites of infection and inflammation throughout the body.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2024
The headset also gives the show a way of stepping outside the confines of the detective genre and into an otherworldly space that has the recognizable markers of science fiction, like planets with multiple suns.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
Driven by a 20-year quest to finish their mixtape trilogy, the documentary charts how the group of friends played outside the confines of the NBA yet still left an indelible imprint on the game forever.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024
Collins' leadership lessons extend beyond the confines of aerospace, offering invaluable wisdom for aspiring leaders in any industry.
—Dr. Ruth Gotian, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Whether her character is raising awareness around a town-wide health risk or slaying strangers for the sake of love, Pedretti pushes beyond the confines of the nurturing role — and has fun with it too.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024
Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
While Israel and Iran have been enemies since the late 1970s, the bitter conflict has long been confined to secret assassinations, audacious cyberattacks, nuclear sabotage and war-by-proxy.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The incident occurred while the toddler was being babysat and the dogs walked into the property despite being confined outside, Duncanville Interim Police Chief Matthew Stogner said in a news conference on Monday.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
While historically debates were confined to good-spirited discussions on public policy issues, Trump over the last two presidential cycles has deformed the tradition with uncontrolled outbursts and an avalanche of lies.
—Hadas Gold, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
For example, instead of being allowed to hold a protest in the center of one Arab town, organizers were confined to an out-of-the-way soccer field.
—Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Her mother, Lilian (Anson) Coleman, went blind after surgery when Kate was 3 and was largely confined to their home.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The fiction was a flimsy dramatic framework for his voice, which, in his recent movies, has become strained, vain, confined as if to an official self-promotional, self-justifying role.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
But, if the polls are accurate, negative feelings about the economy aren’t confined to Republicans.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
Both Fink and Dimon root their analysis outside the confines of finance, explaining their positions as the right approach for humanity as well as for shareholders.
—Justin Worland, TIME, 20 Apr. 2024
Woodman struggled to find her footing outside the comfortable confines of school.
—Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2024
And the very idea of losing weight outside the confines of sports or exercise is itself gendered, according to Emily Contois, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Tulsa.
—Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The bacteria can travel outside the confines of the mouth and have been detected at many sites of infection and inflammation throughout the body.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2024
The headset also gives the show a way of stepping outside the confines of the detective genre and into an otherworldly space that has the recognizable markers of science fiction, like planets with multiple suns.
—Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024
Driven by a 20-year quest to finish their mixtape trilogy, the documentary charts how the group of friends played outside the confines of the NBA yet still left an indelible imprint on the game forever.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024
Collins' leadership lessons extend beyond the confines of aerospace, offering invaluable wisdom for aspiring leaders in any industry.
—Dr. Ruth Gotian, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Whether her character is raising awareness around a town-wide health risk or slaying strangers for the sake of love, Pedretti pushes beyond the confines of the nurturing role — and has fun with it too.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
As geoengineering goes, cloud seeding is a rather limited technique, with small effects confined to small geographical areas.
—Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
While Israel and Iran have been enemies since the late 1970s, the bitter conflict has long been confined to secret assassinations, audacious cyberattacks, nuclear sabotage and war-by-proxy.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024
The incident occurred while the toddler was being babysat and the dogs walked into the property despite being confined outside, Duncanville Interim Police Chief Matthew Stogner said in a news conference on Monday.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
While historically debates were confined to good-spirited discussions on public policy issues, Trump over the last two presidential cycles has deformed the tradition with uncontrolled outbursts and an avalanche of lies.
—Hadas Gold, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
For example, instead of being allowed to hold a protest in the center of one Arab town, organizers were confined to an out-of-the-way soccer field.
—Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
Her mother, Lilian (Anson) Coleman, went blind after surgery when Kate was 3 and was largely confined to their home.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2024
The fiction was a flimsy dramatic framework for his voice, which, in his recent movies, has become strained, vain, confined as if to an official self-promotional, self-justifying role.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2024
But, if the polls are accurate, negative feelings about the economy aren’t confined to Republicans.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Confine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confine. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
confine
transitive verb
con·fine
kən-ˈfīn 
confined; confining
: to keep from leaving accustomed quarters (as one's room or bed) under pressure of infirmity, childbirth, or detention
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